GRS 150
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 347
OF 311125Z JANUARY 86
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
CONTIDENTIALOF COPY
HKK 027/
RESCIME
it
447
03 FEB 1986
AB 31/0
18
HONG KONG AGREEMENT : VISITS BY SENIOR CHINESE FIGURES TO HONG KONG.
1. I AM NOT PERSUADED BY THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST EXTENDING AN INVITATION TO MME CHEN MUHAU AND WILL OUTLINE MY REASONS SHORTLY.
2. ALTHOUGH AGREE THAT IT WOULD BE A GOOD THING TO EXTEND AN INVITATION TO THE FOREIGN MINISTER, WU XUEQIAN, AM AGAIN NOT PERSUADED THAT AN EARLY INVITATION TO ZHOU NAN WOULD BE A GOOD THING. BOTH WU AND ZHOU WOULD BE EXPECTED TO COMMENT ON POLITICAL ISSUES AND THIS WOULD STIR UP AGAIN QUESTIONS SUCH AS ''CONVERGENCE'', THE BASIC LAW, HNTERFERENCE AND ALL THAT. HONG KONG HAS HAD AN OVERDOSE OF POLITICS AND HIT IS TIME THAT THE CHINESE HAD A DOSE OF HONG KONG ECONOMICS.
3. WILL THEREFORE REVERT TO THIS ISSUE AGAIN IN DUE COURSE.
YOURE
HONG KONG AGREEMENT
(REPEATED AS REQUESTED)
LIMITED
HD/HKD
HD/FED
HD/PLANNING STAFF
DEP HD/PUSD
HD/PUSD
RD (MR WALKER)
COPIES TO:- MR ROBERTS
MR FIFOOT
MR WOOD
MR PEIRCE
MR MALLABY
NEWS DEPT
LEGAL ADVISERS
LEGAL ADVISERS
ASSESSMENTS STAFF
CABINET OFFICE
CABINET OFFIC
MR DRC CHRISTOPHER CABINET OFFICE SIR P CRADOCK NO 10 DOWNING STREET
PS
PS/LADY YOUNG
PS/MR RENTON
PS/PUS
SIR W HARDING
SIR J FREELAND
MR WILSON
MR CROWLEY
PUSD
CONFIDENTIAL
THIS TELEGRAM
WAS NOT ADVANCED