CYPHER/CAT A
177
CONFIDENTIAL
AMENDED DISTRIBUTION (4. DECEMBER, 1967)
IMMEDIATE
Telno 296
CONFIDENTIAL
PEKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE
R
2 December 1967
28
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 296 of 2 December. Repeated for information to Hong Kong, POLAD Singapore and Washington.
My telegram No. 292.
Having requested an interview with Mr. Hsueh Deputy Director Western Europe I was given an appointment this afternoon to see him but Ministry subsequently telephoned to say that he was ill and
I saw offered Mr. Kao Deputy Director Consular Department instead. him this afternoon and having drawn his attention to Mr. Hsueh's statement on 27 November that applications for entry and exit visas from us would be dealt with according to normal procedure, I pointed out that we had made applications on 29 November but had so far had no reply as what were the intentions of the Chinese Government in this respect?
/
2. In the course of a long interview Kao's reply was to the effect' that owing to recent events in Hong Kong (he mentioned both raids on schools and the Wen Hwei Pao case) the Chinese Government had reason to doubt the sincerity of the British Government's expressed wish to normalize relations. He therefore had "no fresh news" about visas.
3.
In the course of various exchanges we received a fairly definite impression that the Chinese Government probably had intended to issue visas but that events in Hong Kong this week particularly the Wen Hwei Pao case had created a new situation.
4.9 I made various pleas on grounds of international law and humanity but got no change. We can, therefore, expect no (repeat no) visas to be issued in the immediate future.
5. A fuller record of this interview and my comments are in my immediately following telegrams. I am recommending that for the time being nothing should be made public about this.
Foreign Office pass Immediate Hong Kong 141, Priority POLAD Singapore 35 and Washington 35.
Mr. Hopson
FO/CO/WH DISTRIBUTION
F.E.D.
[Repeated as requested]
CONFIDENTIAL
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