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Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
Dear John,
Pamily
3 September 1982
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Prime Minister's Visit to the Far East:
Hong Kong Kong
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HKGY
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In his letter of 2 September, Willie Rickett said that the Prime Minister was not inclined to have a meeting with Urban Councillors in Hong Kong and preferred to meet members of the business community.
I think that we may not have explained properly the thought in the Governor's mind in making this suggestion. He sees it as an important part of the process of consulting (and being seen to consult) opinion in Hong Kong. The Urban Council is the equivalent of the City Council, responsible for civic matters for the central urban agglomeration, including Kowloon. It is quite separate from the Executive and Legislative Councils and its members generally represent a different group of people, including the professional middle class. There are some business people among them but in any case the suggested programme (about the overall nature of which I am writing to you separately) already contains four occasions for the Prime Minister to meet members of the business community: the dinner on 26 September; the business lunch and the reception on 27 September; and the opening of the Castle Peak Power Station on the 28th.
In the circumstances, we believe there is a good case for including a short meeting with the Urban Councillors (who have themselves asked for it) to demonstrate that every opportunity for consultation is being taken.
A J Coles Esq 10 Downing Street
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(J E Holmes) Private Secretary