CONFIDENTIAL
FROM: P F Ricketts
Muz 091/2
Mr Hum miniter PS/Mr Goodlad
Citer 25/1
Hong Kong Department
DATE : 24 November 1992
Private Secretary
I that that the sine hive mp2 möht be drastie
cc: PS/Mr Lennox Boyd
litle
20
less definitives; early prospect?
'little prospect'
m 25111.
PS/PUS
Sir J Coles
Mr Beamish
Heads of ECD (E)
NAD
?
News Dept
Special Advisers
Mr Davies, FED
CHINA/HONG KONG : MFN
1.
Α
The Private Secretary has asked for advice and a draft
reply to Mr Wall's letter of 21 November. This reported that
the US Ambassador had told the Prime Minister of a suggestion
from Mr Patten that China's treatment of Hong Kong might be
listed as one of the conditions for renewal of MFN status for
China.
chinamfn.FUT.kr
2. I find this a puzzling suggestion and share the Prime
Minister's immediate reaction that this would be pretty two-edged (to put it mildly). I submit a draft Private Secretary letter to No 10 explaining why we think this would be a bad idea and what our strategy is for dealing with the
MFN issue. The draft includes comments from the Ambassador in
Washington.
P F Ricketts
CONFIDENTIAL
138