CONFIDENTIAL
Background
3.
It is now clear, in the light of the Secretary of State's discussions in Peking during the State Visit, that
the Chinese accept and even welcome the informal dialogue
which we have established with them over
issues related to
convergence and the drafting of the Basic Law. We need to
consider how that can best be taken forward. The Governor
ostensibly on other Hong
able to discuss Chinese
papers on convergence. It
will be in Peking in December,
Kong business, and will be
reactions to our second batch of
is helpful if there can always be a further opportunity to
exchange views on the horizon. This reduces the risk that
exchanges on representative government might instead be
chanelled back by the Chinese into the undesirably formal
and, for Hong Kong, politically sensitive framework of the
Joint Liaison Group.
A
4.
B
C D
E
suggested that he
SO during 1987.
In his telno 3502 the Governor has
should visit Peking every three months or
His telno 3516 sets out a full programme of his proposed
Peking and London next year.
travel to
commented
in
Sir R Evans has
his telnos 218 to Hong Kong and 2067 to
ourselves: he is evidently worried about the implications
for his Own position. The Governor has responded in his
telno 3606.
Argument
a) Ministerial contacts with the Chinese
5.
year.
the most important
that between the
A s the Governor acknowledges,
channel for dialogue with the Chinese is
Secretary of State and Wu Xueqian. The Secretary of State
has invited Wu to pay an official visit to Britain next
Wu has accepted: timing and details remain to be
discussed.
Wu told the Secretary of State that he was
likely to
to visit Eastern Europe in the first half of 1987,
and a press report has suggested that this will be in
company with Zhao Ziyang in June or July. It is possible
that this tour could be
combined with a visit by Wu to
CONFIDENTIAL