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From the Principal Private Secretary

(ET MON)

OROIT

10 DOWNING STREET

wf 25 12

Dear Alan,

2 February 1983

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51

¡ MAR 1983

1AF73

Hong Kong

It may be useful to you to have a note of four points which Mr. C.H. Tung made to me when I met him socially last night. They were:

1)

2)

3)

4)

The Chinese Government in their propaganda messages to Hong Kong had introduced the theme of "rule by Hong Kong people". Mr. Tung was apprehensive that this would have some considerable appeal to certain elements of the Hong Kong Chinese.

Mr. Tung thought that the British Government could make better use of intermediaries in conveying messages to the Chinese Government then they were at present.

In connection with the last point, Mr. Tung thought that there was scope for more orchestration of the transmission of messages to the Chinese through Hong Kong visitors to China. What he had in mind was that an organisation needed to be created by the Hong Kong Government through which nominated persons, who would be in a position to know about forthcoming visits to China from the various sectors of the Hong Kong community, would be in charge of reporting such visits and seeing that the visitors were given guidance about the message to be conveyed.

Although there was still apprehension in Hong Kong, and people wanted the future to be settled, it would be much better to wait for a good agreement than to conclude a vague or unsatisfactory agreement In making this last point, he seemed to have in mind that Mrs. Thatcher should not feel under pressure for the sake of reaching an agreement in advance of a British General Election.

AL

/Mr. Tung

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