XN000022-1984-03-29 — Page 30

THURSDAY, MARCH 29,

1984

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SIR GEOFFREY ARRIVING APRIL 18

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AT TODAY'S PRESS BRIEFING AT THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE IN LONDON, THE HEAD OF NEWS DEPARTMENT, MR JOHN GOULDEN ANNOUNCED THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, SIR GEOFFREY HOWE, WILL VISIT CHINA, HONG KONG, KOREA AND JAPAN FROM APRIL 15 TO 27. LADY HOWE WILL ACCOMPANY HIM.

SIR GEOFFREY WILL VISIT PEKING BETWEEN APRIL 15 AND 18 AT THE INVITATION OF CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER, MR WU XUEQIAN. HE WILL HAVE DISCUSSIONS WITH MR WU AND OTHER CHINESE LEADERS ON ALL ASPECTS OF HONG KONG'S FUTURE AS WELL AS OTHER INTERNATIONAL AND BILATERAL ISSUES. MR GOULDEN STRESSED THAT THE VISIT WAS NOT A ROUND IN THE CURRENT SERIES OF TALKS. HE SAID THE VISIT WAS SEPARATE FROM THIS PROCESS BUT WILL INVOLVE A COMPREHENSIVE PERSONAL REVIEW OF THE TALKS.

THE VISIT TO HONG KONG BETWEEN APRIL 19 AND 20 WILL PROVIDE SIR GEOFFREY THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET A FIRST HAND VIEW OF HONG KONG AND TO LISTEN TO THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. HE WILL MEET WITH THE GOVERNOR AND MEMBERS OF EXCO AND LEGCO AS WELL AS REPRESENTATIVES OF THE URBAN COUNCIL, DISTRICT BOARDS (BOTH ELECTED AND APPOINTED) AND OF NUMEROUS PROFESSIONAL AND İNTEREST GROUPS.

ASKED TO COMMENT ON THE JARDINES ANNOUNCEMENT, MR GOULDEN SAID IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A COMMERCIAL DECISION. HE ADDED THAT HMG WAS AWARE OF HONG KONG'S CONCERN ABOUT ITS FUTURE- HMG'S CONCERN WAS TO SEEK AN AGREEMENT ACCEPTABLE TO PARLIAMENT, THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG,

IN REPLY TO A QUESTION ON WHY THE SECRETARY WAS GOING TO CHINA BEFORE HONG KONG, MR GOULDEN SAID HMG WAS AWARE OF SUGGESTION BY LEGCO BUT THERE WERE SERIOUS PRACTICAL CONSTRAINTS AFFECTING THE PROGRAMME AND THESE HAD BEEN EXPLAINED TO THE GOVERNOR'S ADVISERS. HE ADDED THAT THERE WOULD BE A FURTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR CONSULTATION DURING EXCO'S FOURTH VISIT TO LONDON NEXT WEEK, AND EXCO WAS WELL PLACED TO BRIEF SIR GEOFFREY BEFORE HIS DEPARTURE FOR PEKING.

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