TNAG-0032-FCO40-68-Relations-with-China-1968 — Page 153

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CONFIDENTIAL.

PRIORITY PEKING

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Telno 698

CONFIDENTTAL

FOREIGN OFFICE

30 July 1968

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Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 698 of 30 July, Repeated for information to Hong Kong.

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Hong Kong telegram No. 928: British policy towards China. The key concession to bring about the benefits of better relations and therefore the concession on which we should concentrate is the release of Chinese in custody (detainees and prisoners convicted in Court). In this telegram I shall deal with the detainees. My immediately following telegram deals with earlier release of some convicted prisoners and general points raised by Hong Kong telegram under reference.

2.

Detainees seemed to be the sector in which we can with relatively little difficulty make gestures bearing on key issue. We have flexibility. The detainees have not been sentenced to a set term so that there is strictly no question of "premature release". The release of four so far has gone smoothly and Press reaction has been encouraging.

HWB2/1/220 No. 850, paragraph 3, agreed that tangible results were not very

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3.

As regards dividends from such release, Hong Kong telegram likely from a trickle of detainees, so that it can hardly be a matter of complaint now if we have not yet seen any obvious dividends from the release of four (paragraph 1(a) of telegram under reference). In fact, however, I think there may well have been dividends since this release has probably been a factor in the resumption of exit visas for this Mission.

4. This leads me to recommend strongly that urgent consideration be given to the possibility of releasing a sizeable number of detainees in response to the granting of exit visas to the staff of this Mission, if, as we now expect, the Chinese carry out their promise of 27 July (my telegram No. 691). It is very much in our interest to show them that acts of de-escalation on their part are likely to be followed by a suitable response on ours. In this case we should for once not be making the first move. The effect might also be to encourage the Chinese to make further concessions e.g. over British subjects detained in China in the hope of a further response from us. I very much hope, therefore, that if the current outstanding exit visas are granted the Governor would be prepared to release, say, 10 to 20 detainees at

once.

Foreign Office pass Priority Hong Kong.

Sir D. Hopson

DEPARTMENTAL DISTRIBUTION

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[Repeated as requested]

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News Dept.

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