ник 02718
CODE 18.77
RESTRICTED
Reference....
Tie
HKK
027/18
n
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO.
Mr Hall
Conference Section
12 AUG 1983
FROM: R D CLIFT,
HKD
DATE: 11 AUGUST 1983
PCD
DESK OFFICIO
R
INDEX
PA
cc: PS/Mr Luce
Mr Elliott,
FED
Mr Donald
!....?4
14
MINISTERIAL VISITS TO THE FAR EAST
1.
Thank you for your minute of 5 August to Mr McQuade, who has left this Department. As you say, Mr Luce's visit arises primarily out of the recent change of Ministers, It is politically most important that he should visit Hong Kong this year.
2. You are correct in saying that a visit by the Secretary of State to the Far East is under, consideration for early next year. This is still tentative, and no decision has yet been taken on timing. When the planning firms up, we (that is, FED in particular, since the countries at present proposed are Japan and Korea) will try to take account of the preference expressed in paragraph 3 of your minute. But we must retain flexibility, Political considerations may make it necessary for the visit to take place earlier.
3. Neither we nor FED are aware of any other proposals for FCO Ministers to visit the Far East in the remainder of this financial year, although Mr Raison was to have attended a multilateral meeting in Tokyo in October (and has now decided not to go),
11 August 1983
RESTRICTED
in
R D Clift
Hong Kong Department