CR 300
CONFIDENTIAL
са
Future
CONFIDENT POP COPY
MKK 040/59
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
DESKDY 2013007
FM HONG KONG 22031OZ DEC 24
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 3255 OF 28 DECEMBER
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
r...
STAY
PA
JAY
Action Ten
RESIDENT CLERK PLEASE PASS FOLLOWING PERSONAL TO DAVID WILSON,
AUS ASIA AND HEAD OF MINS DEPT FROM GOVERNOR.
1. THERE IS CRITICAL COMMENT IN TWO PAPERS THIS MORNING ABOUT THE
EXCHANGE AT THE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY ON
WHETHER OR NOT I WOULD BE A MEMBER OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP ON
THE LINES THAT THERE IS NOW CONFUSION OVER MY POLE.
2. AS YOU KNOW, THERE WOULD BE VERY SUBSTANTIAL DIFFICULTY ABOUT
BY JOINING THE GROUP. SINCE IT WILL MEET SOMETIMES IN HONG KONG
AND I COULD NOT SIT AS NUMBER 2 IN MY OWN TERRITORY I WOULD HAVE
TO SE LEADER OF THE BRITISH SIDE. POLITICALLY THIS WOULD BE SEEN
HERE AS GIVING THE GROUP A VERY HIGH PROFILE AND PUTTING IT ON
A PAR WITH HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WHICH WOULD BE DISTURBING LOCALLY.
THERE WOULD ALSO BE GREAT PROBLEMS WITH THE CHINESE NOT ONLY AS
REGARDS MY STATUS AT ANY MEETING IN PEKING BUT BECAUSE THE
INDICATIONS ARE THAT THEY DO NOT INTEND TO APPOINT ANYONE SO SENIOR
ON THEIR SIDE. I COULD NOT SIT OPPOSITE MORE JUNIOR CHINESE
OFFICIALS LIKE LU PING AND LI CHUWEN WHO ARE TIPPED AS THEIR
PROBABLE CANDIDATES FOR LEADERSHIP. NOR COULD I GIVE THE GROUP THE
FULL-TIME ATTENTION WHICH WILL BE REQUIRED AS ITS WORK-LOAD GROWS.
1
3. IT WOULD NOT HOWEVER BE WISE TO GO INTO ALL THIS NOW. IN ANSWER
TO QUESTIONS WE SHALL THEREFORE DECLINE TO ADD ANYTHING TO WHAT
WAS SAID AT THE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE. IF THERE IS MORE
PRESSING DEMAND FOR A STATEMENT WE WILL SAY THAT THERE WILL BE
NOTHING TO ADD TO WHAT WAS SAID AT THE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS
CONFERENCE UNTIL AN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE
BRITISH TEAM ON THE GROUP IS MADE AND THAT WILL NOT BE FOR SOME
TIME YET'',
CONFIDENTIAL
FC040/1775
14.