Mr. Hall
11/4.
6
Reference...
409
MR. Carter
Many thanks.
This can now
be registered. ANS.
8/4
This night be on that basis д
our Cay-term paper, which Ministers will wth & discuss with Fi D. Trench! I think
ANG.
9/4/68
Sir Arthur Galsworthy
I attach a copy of a brief on Sino-British relations, prepared for the Foreign Secretary by the Far Eastern Department of the Foreign Office in consultation with this department. It also served as a note for a discussion with the Foreign Secretary on 26 March to review Sino-British relations.
2.
I understand that these discussions in the
Foreign Office resulted in acceptance of the recommendation in paragraph 5(b) to remove the remaining restrictions on Chinese officials in this country as a unilateral gesture; this step will not
be taken immediately since the Foreign Office are first to discuss with the Home Office arrangements for the reimposition of these restrictions should they not be matched by a corresponding Chinese gesture towards our Mission in Peking.
3. The brief is already out of date in a number of respects. We are now, for example, in sight of agreement with the Chinese on apecial visits to communist journalists imprisoned in Hong Kong (see paragraph 2 of Annex D), as a result of which we hope to get access to Mr. Grey. But the brief will serve as useful background information on the present state of our relations for the purposes of a joint submission which both Departments are likely to be making within the course of the next few days on the reply to be returned to the Chinese statement of
8 March.
4. It will be noted that in paragraph 5(a) of the brief the Foreign Office suggest that the Foreign Secretary may wish to have an early discussion with the Commonwealth Secretary on the long term aspects of the Hong Kong problem. This, I think, is very desirable and we stand ready to brief the Commonwealth Secretary for this purpose; because of the very recent developments reported in paragraph 10 of the brief, which are of considerable significance, we would prefer to defer briefing until a date for the meeting has been fixed.
5. I am sending copies of this minute and enclosure to Mr. Godden (for the Minister of State's information) and to Mr. Mason who will no doubt find it a useful introduction to current relations with
China.
28 March, 1968.
6.5. Carte
(W. S. Carter)