2
for an interview; this would be more difficult to
handle because of the inevitable focus on the future of
the territory.
3. There is a select band of British journalists
who are very knowledgeable about the Far East (for
example Richard Harris of The Times). The Prime
Minister might find it useful to set aside time for a
brief meeting with a small group of them, perhaps over
a drink, when they could talk generally about China and
Japan as they see it. This could be a useful supplement
>
!
T
to official briefing, but is a lower priority than
interviews with overseas journalists.
4. We think that a relaxed meeting with a group of
senior businessmen with Far Eastern (including Hong
Kong) interests would be very well worthwhile.
It
•
could include representatives of the long-established
Far Eastern trading houses, such as the Keswick family
of Jardine Matheson, and John and Adrian Swire, together
with Lord Nelson of the Sino-British Trade Council, Ian
Donald of the Hong Kong Trade Advisory Group and one or
two others on the Japan side.
Perhaps this sort of
meeting would be best done over a meal.
5.
We are not sure whether it will be right for us
to recommend that the Prime Minister entertain the
Chinese Ambassador to a meal, but it is likely that in
due course we shall recommend at least that she propose
a meeting. However the Chinese Ambassador might well
wish to invite the Prime Minister to a lunch or a
dinner before her departure.
There is unlikely to be
any such need for a meeting with the Japanese Ambassador,
/but
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