GRS 680
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
(25)
наказы з
FM HONG KONG 211215Z FEB 79
TO IM HATE F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 306 OF 21 FEBRUARY
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING.
VISIT TO CHINA.
2 2 FEB 1979
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Actix
See ₤17 (30)
1. WHEN WE HAVE AGREEMENT FROM THE CHINESE ON THE DATES
FOR MY VISIT, WE WILL MAKE A BRIEF ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE FOLLOWING
LINES:
''AT THE INVITATION OF MR LI QIANG, MINISTER OF FOREIGN TRADE OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, THE GOVERNOR WILL BE VISITING CHINA FROM BLANK TO BLANK. HE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LADY MACLEHOSE, SIR YUET-KEUNG KAN AND LADY KAN, AND DR AND MRS D C WILSON.'' WE WILL CONFIRM THE PRECISE WORDING, WHICH WILL BE CLEARED WITH THE NONA, BEFORE MAKING THE ANNOUNCEMENT.
2. IN UNATTRIBUTABLE BRIEFING FOR THE PRESS, ON THE SAME DAY AS THE ANNOUNCEMENT, WE WILL MAKE THE FOLLOWING POINTS.
1) THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1949 THAT A GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG HAS RECEIVED AN OFFICIAL INVITATION TO VISIT CHINA. THE LAST OCCASION ON WHICH A GOVERNOR VISITED PEKING WAS IN 1955 WHEN SIR ALEXANDER GRANTHAM MADE A PRIVATE VISIT AS THE GUEST OF THE
THEN BRITISH CHARGE D'AFFAIRES.
(11) THE INVITATION SYMBOLISES THE VERY GOOD RELATIONS WHICH NOW EXIST BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN, BOTH IN GENERAL AND OVER HONG KONG. THE VISIT WILL ESSENTIALLY BE ONE OF GOODWILL. IT FOLLOWS NATURALLY FROM A SERIES OF IMPROVEMENTS IN RELATIONS. THESE INCLUDE THE ATTENDANCE OF THE GOVERNOR AT THE LOCAL RECEPTION FOR CHINA'S NATIONAL DAY ON 1 OCTOBER LAST YEAR: THE VISIT TO HONG KONG IN DECEMBER OF LI QIANG AND HIS MEETING WITH THE GOVERNOR ON THAT OCCASION: AND A WHOLE SERIES OF SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT GESTURES ON BOTH SIDES. ESSENTIALLY THIS VISIT BY THE GOVERNOR CAN BE SEEN AS PART OF THE PATTERN OF ESTABLISHING A NORMAL RELATIONSHIP.
WITH CHINA.
(11) THE GOVERNOR HOPES TO SPEND THREE OR FOUR DAYS IN PEKING AND A DAY IN GUANGZHOU AS WELL AS TO VISIT BRIEFLY OTHER PLACES
IN CHINA,
CONFIDENTIAL
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