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Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH
Telephone 01- 233 3184
22
Sir J Cater KBE
Chief Secretary HONG KONG
HKK0267
Dear Jack,
ASSISTANT IN HKGD:
1
3 C APP 1900
थ
Your reference
Our reference HKK 026/7
Date
1
29 April 1980
FAMILIARISATION VISITS
βυ
14 May
25
see
When I was in Hong Kong I mentioned to you that we would like Philip Morrice, the recently-arrived Assistant in the department, to make a familiarisation visit to Hong Kong this summer. He is now planning on doing this in June.
2. If you and the Embassy in Peking see no objection, we would also see advantage in Morrice going to Peking on this trip, given the growing importance of the China dimension in UK/Hong Kong relations. He has not previously served in or worked on China and I am sure that there would be advantage in his getting even a limited impression of the country.
3. I realise that in the past Heads and Assistants in HKGD have not included China in such visits. We did however arrange for Peter Webb, a desk officer in the Hong Kong Section, to go to Peking in the autumn and I hope that you and Peking would agree that for Morrice to go would cause no misunderstanding in either place.
4. I know that the Embassy in Peking already has more than its share of visitors. Morrice would however not be asking for any sort of formal programme. His main purpose would be to talk to the Embassy about Hong Kong/China affairs and possibly, but of course very much at the Embassy's discretion, to call on the MFA at working level.
5.
If you both agree that a visit to China would be acceptable, it would be helpful to have also your view on whether this should come before or after Hong Kong. If possible, Morrice would like to go to Peking first, leaving London on about 8 June, preferably on the direct London to Peking BA flight if one exists by then. He would propose to spend about 3 days in Peking and travel to Hong Kong arriving on 12 or 13 June. He would stay in Hong Kong for a further.2 weeks until 27 June.
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