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Duke and Duchess of Kent would be passing through Hong Kong.
Sir Murray MacLehose asked whether there was any truth in the
rumour that Chou En Lai might be coming to Britain. Mr Royle
thought it very unlikely.
21.
Sir Murray MacLehose said he would be seeing Lord Bridges
about the Prime Minister's visit. He hoped it would last more
than 24 hours. Mr Royle said he was
Mr Royle said he was sure the Prime Minister
would want to stay longer if other commitments allowed; he knew
many people in Hong Kong.
22. Mr Royle said that, during Mr Tanaka's visit, we might get
the formal invitation for The Queen to make a State Visit to
Japan in May 1975. We would hope she could also visit Hong Kong.
Sir Murray MacLehose agreed that this would be a very good thing,
but he hoped that an announcement of a visit to Hong Kong need not
be made too far ahead. Mr Wilford thought that we might have to
make an announcement about the visit to Japan whilst Mr Tanaka was
here, and this could give rise to questions about Hong Kong.
Sir Murray MacLehose suggested that we should take advice from
Peking on whether the Chinese might use a visit to Hong Kong to
put pressure on us. He personally thought it unlikely. Was there
any chance of The Queen visiting Hong Kong after she had been to
Indonesia? Mr Wilford said that the Indonesian visit came at the
end of an already long visit in New Zealand and Australia.
23. Mr Royle said that Mr Holland would be going to the Heads of
Mission conference at Chiang Mai in October. Should he go on to
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/Hong Kong?