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HKB 027/4
18 J. 1993
SECRET
FM FCO
TO DESKBY 16003OZ HONG KONG TELNO 581
OF 151723Z JUN 93
AND TO DESKBY 15233OZ PEKING
INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG
69
160607
MDHOAN 4318
(67)
(66)
YOUR TELNOS 958, 959, 962 AND PEKING TELNO 820: TALKS WITH CHINESE: ANNOUNCEMENT OF YOUR VISIT TO LONDON
1.
We agree that it would be right to take the opportunity of the Oral PQ on 16 June to announce your visit to London. We accept that you will need to make an announcement earlier in the day, and agree that this should be done at 1600 Hong Kong time. The PQ reply will be in similar terms to your announcement although we do not think it need refer to HMA Peking). We have amended the draft for Mr Goodlad's use in reply to PQ No 24 to read as
follows:
QUOTE
We keep in the closest touch with the Governor of Hong Kong about our discussions with the Chinese authorities on Hong Kong. My right hon Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and I will next meet the Governor when he comes to London on 30 June for one of his regular visits for consultations. As is customary, the Governor will also have discussions with the Prime Minister as well as other Ministers and senior officials. UNQUOTE
2.
We agree that we should provide News Department with an unattributable background Line, in order to nudge the press away from the idea that we are preparing for concessions.
We are all agreed that this will require a light touch. We believe our basic text for this purpose should be the PQ of 10 June, which carried a clear note of impatience. Much more than this would risk provoking a public Chinese reaction which could play unhelpfully back into the talks. There is some chance that PQ 24 will be reached, in which case we are briefing Mr Goodlad to refer, in response to supplementaries, to the PQ of 10 June.
As for unattributable briefing in Hong Kong, we note that you will discuss this with Sir R McLaren in the light of his
3.
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