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CONFIDENTIAL
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7.30. 51
MAR 1979
Mr Murray
Private Secretary
INDEX
По
13
GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG:
VISIT TO CHINA
GISTRY
Prion Také
39.
A
1. The Secretary of State has agreed that Sir Murray MacLehose should take up an invitation to visit China in the last week of March. The Governor plans to travel to Peking on 24 March and to return to Hong Kong on 4 April after talks in Peking and visits to a number of places outside the capital, including Canton.
The dates have been agreed by the Chinese, but a detailed programme has not yet been drawn up. The Governor will be accompanied by Sir Y K Kan, the senior Unofficial Member of the Executive Council, by his Political Adviser and by wives.
2.
The Secretary of State may wish to be aware that the visit is now due to be announced publicly in Hong Kong on Tonday, 6 March. The probable text of the announcement (we have not yet heard whether it has been cleared with the Chinese) together with the line which the Hong Kong Government intend to take in unattributable press briefing are given in Hong Kong telegram No 306. I see no need for a parallel announcement here but News Department will, of course, be briefed to reply to questions.
3. The Governor originally wished to announce the visit on Monday, 26 February. We took the view that while it would be right for the visit to go ahead as planned, there would be advantage in delaying the announcement for a week in the hope that the Sino/Vietnamese situation might then have become a little clearer. Lord Goronwy-Roberts approved a submission in this sense on 23 February. I duly informed the Political Adviser in Hong Kong.
4. It now looks as though the fighting on the Sino/Vietnamese border may be more protracted than seemed likely when the Chinese launched their attack. But I would recommend against any further This would be delay in the announcement of the Governor's visit. bound to lead to local speculation that it had been arranged in a hurry and make it more difficult to present it as what it is, a natural development given the present excellent state of relations between China and Hong Kong.
5. FED agree.
28 February 1979
Copies to:
PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts
Mr Cortazzi
FED
News Department
Rukandam
R JT McLaren
Hong Kong and General Department
CONFIDENTIAL