CONFIDENTIAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office- London SW1A 2AH
Sir John Curle KCVO CMG Director of Protocol Government Secretariat HONG KONG
HKK 0261
ri..
1 3 MAR 1978
INDEX
Telephone
Your reference
Our reference
Date
10 March 1978
See 26
Action Taken
Jut
N/R
VISIT TO HONG KONG
1. Last October John Stewart agreed with the Governor that I should visit Hong Kong in April/May this year. It has now been agreed here that I should make this visit in the first two weeks of May.
2. My principal aim is to familiarise myself with Hong Kong and my priorities are generally the same as those Bill Quantrill gave in his letter of 5 January. Since Bill's return I have discussed with him the programme that was arranged for his visit: this was obviously very successful and something broadly on the same lines would suit me admirably. I would be grateful however if the programme could include calls on the following: David Wong (to discuss air services), the Secretary for Monetary Affairs (to discuss the minting of coinage), Hugh Ardley (to discuss the Development Plan), and the Haking Wong Technical
Lawrie Mills Institute (to which we have given British aid).
also suggested when I met him in London last month that I should call on him when I am in Hong Kong.
3. If it proves impossible to fit all this into a programme on the lines of that arranged for Bill Quantrill, he has suggested that the amount of time devoted to the New Towns, the Housing Department and the Public Works Department could perhaps be reduced somewhat. He has also suggested that I might try to see something of the medical services in Hong Kong.
4. I am planning to arrive, if this is agreeable to you, by BA003 on 27 April and leave on 12 May by BA00. I should be grateful if you could arrange for me to be booked in at the Hong Kong Hotel and for transport from the airport to the Hotel.
J Thompson
Hong Kong and General Department
Page 195Page 196