TNAG-0034-FCO40-70-Relations-with-China-1968 — Page 112

Mr. Wilkinson

Private Secretary

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SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS

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The Secretary of State will no doubt wish to hold a meeting later this week to discuss the various outstanding problems on Sino-British relations. The issues are, broadly speaking, those set out in my submissions of 12 March, although there have been various developments in the meantime. This minute concerns the one point on which an immediate decision is required,

PROBLEM

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2. The Governor of Hong Kong has had an informal approach which purports to come from Chou En-lai, the Prime Minister of China, indirectly and through a British businessman in Hong Kong. According to this approach the Chinese authorities would like to discuss ways of bringing the troubles in Hong Kong to an end; they have however difficulties with their own activists; basis for the discussions would be the previous "demands" of the Chinese Government but the majority of these would be insisted on in token fashion only; the most difficult problem was likely to be the release of the political prisoners in Hong Kong, but there was nothing that could not be solved by negotiation (Hong Kong telegram No. 331). The Governor of Hong Kong recommends that we should respond favourably to this initiative (Hong Kong telegram No. 330). The Chargé d'Affaires in Peking has also expressed the hope that we will respond to the Chinese initiative (Peking telegram No. 211).

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