GRS 600
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DESKBY 08080OZ FCO, PEKING
FM HONG KONG 08070OZ MAY 84
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
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TELEGRAM NUMBER 1253 OF 8 MAY
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: UMELCO VISIT
1. SIR S Y CHUNG TOLD ME THIS MORNING THAT AN INVITATION HAD BEEN CONVEYED TO HIM AND TO MR Q.W. LEE FROM DENG XIAOPING TO VISIT PEKING. THEY WERE GIVEN THE IMPRESSION THAT IT WOULD BE ARRANGED FOR THEM TO SEE OTHER LEADERS, INCLUDING ZHAO ZIYANG AND JI PENGFEI, THE INVITATION WAS CONVEYED BY XU JIATUN, THE DIRECTOR OF THE NCNA IN HONG KONG, WHO HAD SEEN DENG DURING HIS RECENT STAY IN PEKING.
2. WHEN XU WAS ASKED BY SIR S Y CHUNG WHETHER THE INVITATION EXTENDED TO THEM PERSONALLY OR TO UMELCO, XU SAID THAT IT WAS PERSONAL. SIR S Y CHUNG EXPLAINED THAT IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR HIM AND MR LEE TO GO WITHOUT UMELCO REPRESENTATION, GIVEN THE FACT THAT THEY WERE ALL PART OF THE DELEGATION VISITING LONDON. HE PROPOSED AS A COMPROMISE THAT THE INVITATION SHOULD BE EXTENDED ADDITIONALLY TO MR ROGER LOBO, THE SENIOR UNOFFICIAL LEGCO MEMBER AND MISS LYDIA DUNN, ANOTHER LEGCO MEMBER WITH WIDE TRADE INTERESTS. THIS GROUP WAS SUGGESTED BECAUSE, AS EXCO MEMBERS, ALL WERE FAMILIAR WITH THE DETAILS OF THE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CHINESE AND COULD THEREFORE TALK TO CHINESE LEADERS WITHOUT INHIBITIONS ABOUT CONFIDENTIALITY. XU AGREED TO PUT THIS TO PEKING. HE WAS DOUBTFUL ABOUT THE INCLUSION OF MR LOBO BUT TOOK THE POINT PUT MY MR LEE THAT TO INCLUDE THE PROPOSER OF THE LOBO MOTION WOULD BE A SIGN OF CHINESE BROADMINDEDNESS. SIR S Y CHUNG ALSO TOLD XU THAT HE WOULD, AS A MEMBER OF EXCO WISH TO CONSULT ME TO ENSURE THAT I HAD NO OBJECTION.
3. WHEN DENG AUTHORISED XU TO EXTEND THE INVITATION THE CHINESE WERE NOT AWARE OF THE UMELCO VISIT TO LONDON (AND DENG'S INVITATION WAS ORIGINALLY FOR MAY 12.) IN ADDITION XU WAS ONLY TOLD LASTNIGHT THAT UMELCO PROPOSED TO ISSUE THEIR MANIFESTO (MY TELNO 1251). SIR S Y CHUNG THEREFORE SUGGESTED THAT XU WOULD WISH TO SEE THE MANIFESTO BEFORE DECIDING TO CONFIRM THE INVITATION.
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4. I TOLD