CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO PRIORITY PEKING
TELNO 735
OF 171728Z SEPTEMBER 92
AND TO PRIORITY HONG KONG
INFO PRIORITY UKREP JLG HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG
037336 MDLOAN 6505
123
POSSIBLE VISIT TO CHINA AND HONG KONG BY MR GOODLAD
1. MR GOODLAD HAS ASKED FOR ADVICE ABOUT A POSSIBLE VISIT TO CHINA VERY EARLY IN THE NEW YEAR BEFORE PARLIAMENT RESUMES. SUBJECT TO YOUR VIEWS AND THOSE OF THE GOVERNOR, HE WOULD PROPOSE TO COMBINE THIS WITH HIS NEXT VISIT TO HONG KONG, ENABLING HIM TO TAKE STOCK THERE ONCE THINGS HAVE SETTLED DOWN FOLLOWING THE GOVERNOR'S 7 OCTOBER SPEECH.
2.
WE HAVE FOR SOME TIME THOUGHT THAT MR GOODLAD'S FIRST VISIT TO PEKING SHOULD TAKE PLACE ABOUT 6 MONTHS AFTER JIANG ENZHU'S VISIT TO LONDON AND ROUGHLY HALF WAY BETWEEN THE 6 MONTHLY FOREIGN MINISTER MEETINGS. EARLY JANUARY WOULD BE CONVENIENT IN PARLIAMENTARY TERMS. YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT HE ALSO HAS IN MIND ANOTHER OVERSEAS TRIP DURING THAT RECESS. THIS ARGUES FOR THE CHINA/HONG KONG VISIT IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE NEW YEAR, IF THIS
CAN BE ACCOMMODATED AT YOUR END.
3.
GRATEFUL FOR YOUR PRELIMINARY COMMENTS BOTH IN TERMS OF TIMING AND ON THE CONTENT OF SUCH A VISIT. IN PARTICULAR, SHOULD HE VISIT CHINA OR HONG KONG FIRST?
HURD
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MAIN
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DISTRIBUTION
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1879.
PS
PS/MR GOODLAD
MR HUM
HKD 026/13
HKD NEWS D
PROTOCOL D
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CONFIDENTIAL
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