CONFIDENTIAL
HKK. 020/1
-
31 MAY 1978
(53
JAK OFFICER
PA
! RE
Y
22 Hay, 1978
SCR 4/3571/76 INDEX NO
RC Samuel Esq
Far Eastern Department
CO
PC
VISIT TO CHINA
Action Luxen
Enter and to Michoven
The rate of legal umangatior from China into Hong Kong is causing concern at the moment. As you will see
from this letter, the Chinese are conscious of this and seem to be looking for a solution. In general, this letter Visa good illustration of the cordiality of Hong Kong | PRC relations at themoment
Wlhatill
I have just come back from my first visit to China since taking up my present post. I was there from 13-21 May. I had warned the local NCNA in advance of my intention to go and talk with the smbassy in Peking. At the same time, I had made it clear to them that I intended to spend two nights and a full day in Canton on the way home, with the unexpressed hope that they would arrange for me to meet members of the local Foreign Affairs Office, as they had when slan Donald last visited China in June 1976. The JGIA had obviously made efforts to ensure that I would be well treated, although it must be recorded that these did not go to the extent of guaranteeing smooth travel arrangements. At almost every stage of the journey some little thing vant vrong. Although it was quickly put right on each occasion, I found myself wondering how the Chinese could cope with their present load of tourism, let alone any increase.
2.
In Peking, Larys Davies arranged a dinner for me to meet Chang Yi-chun (the acting Director of the West European Department) and some of his colleagues in the Foreign Ministry. I had expected that to be the limit of my contact with Chinese officials in reking. Hovever I found that the mbassy had been told that sung chil- kuang, now assistant to the Foreign Minister (and responsible for West European affairs as well as ifong Kong), would also like to entertain me. lie gave a lavish lunch in the newly reopened Fan-shan restaurant in the Fei-hai Park on 17 May. Although I had known sung when he was Ambassador in London I was pleasantly surprised by such a level of hospitality and its implication of benevolence towards Long Kong. Un my way back to wanton I stopped for a night and half a day in Changsha. There I vas entertained by Yang shan, the Director of the Hunan Foreign Affairs office, and the local head of the China Travel
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CONFIDENTIAL
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