d
CONFIDENTIAL
I believe that we would be open to severe criticism
were
We
Officials
if we
to adopt either of these ways out. have therefore pressed MOD to reconsider.
are submitting to Mr Younger tonight. In the
meantime you may wish to include in the statement in
square brackets reference to defence sales:
a
[We have decided to suspend all defence sales to
China].
c)
Sympathetic Treatment of Request by Chinese Students
to remain in the US
were to make a
There are at present about 3,000 officially financed
Chinese students in the UK. There are in addition an unknown number of privately financed Chinese students. Any indication that we would be willing to allow Chinese students to remain in the UK would
obviously have implications for Hong Kong. It would be considered grossly unfair if we concession for Chinese students, but not to be
in the willing to allow Hong Kong people to remain
UK.
I therefore recommend that the Secretary of State should say nothing about this in his statement. He could however say in response to any supplementary question that we would consider carefully any request
for political asylum;
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/d) The