TNAG-0032-FCO40-68-Relations-with-China-1968 — Page 87

release programme based on the general principle

of releasing, first, those who are less important

andyve been detained the longest.

Communist

reactions to the first four releases Been to

have

minimal and satisfactory from our point

of view. We see advantage therefore in making

further releases as Hopson proposes. The Chinese leaders no doubt regard this latest shift on

visas in Peking as a contribution on their part

to reestablishing a modus vivendi with us, and

expect recognition of this on our part.

If they

do fulfil their undertaking on visas, it may well

signal the beginning of an improvement in Sino-

British relations which we would naturally wish

to encourage as much as possible and which we

could reasonably expect to be reflected in the

Chinese attitude towards Hong Kong. Speeding-up

of releases could therefore reasonably be pre-

sented not as a concession to Chinese pressure, but

as an active contribution on our part to a return

to some degree of normality in our relations.

agree that the relases would not necessarily

yield direct results; but they would in our judg-

ment improve the atmosphere of Sino-British rela-

tions, and such an improvement should yield some

dividend in Hong Kong.

2.

We have considered the point that by the

release of detainees in the way proposed, we

would be underlining unduly the link between

British subjects in China and our policies in

Hong Kong, and that this might encourage the

Chinese to try to bargain further and larger

../ releases

We