RESTRICTED
12
113742
MDLOAN 0594
ра
pe do 2613
RESTRICTED
FM FCO
TO PRIORITY PEKING
TELNO 182
OF 25170OZ MAR 93
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
INFO PRIORITY BTC HONG KONG
YOUR TELNO 416 AND HONG KONG TELNO 451: ANNOUNCEMENT OF SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT TO THE FAR EAST: FOREWARNING THE CHINESE
1. Since TURS were sent, we have had Qian's public comments about the prospect of a meeting with the Secretary of State, and our response. In these circumstances, we doubt that there is any risk of the Chinese misinterpreting a low key forewarning of the announcement as an attempt to secure an invitation to visit Peking.
2.
We propose to mention at working level to the Chinese Embassy early next week that we will shortly be announcing details of the Secretary of State's visit to the Far East, making clear that we were doing so as
as a courtesy and that the Secretary of State's position on the question of meetings with the Chinese Foreign Minister remained as we had stated recently in public, ie that he was willing to hold a meeting if that would be useful, but that it was too early to judge when the right moment would be.
HURD
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
65
.HK POLICY
HKD
PUSD
FED
LEGAL ADVISERS//MS BARRETT LEGAL ADVISERS//MISS BROOKS
DISTRIBUTION
71
NTCD
PLANNERS
RAD
PS
PS/MR GOODLAD
SIR J COLES
PH
PAGE
1
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нко 026/14
26 MAR 1993