TNAG-0841-FCO40-1050-Visit-of-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-Chi-1979 — Page 14

Mr Murray

HKE ODD/3

2 1 JUN 1979

SECRET

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Mr Cortazzi

PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts

GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG'S VISIT TO CHINA

1. In his despatch of 11 April, the Governor of Hong Kong sums up his visit to China. This despatch should be read together with his letter of 10 April to Mr McLaren in which he went into more detail about the conclusions to be drawn, particularly over the problem of the New Territories leases. Details of the principal meetings which the Governor had with Chinese leaders have also been sent separately: I attach records of the meetings with the following:

Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping

Foreign Minister Huang Hua

Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee of the

National People's Congress, Biao Chengzhi Minister of Foreign Trade, Li Qiang (two meetings) Director of the General Administration of Tourism

and Travel, Lu Xuzhang

Vice Minister of Railways, Wu Yeshan

Vice Chairmen of the Guangdong Revolutionary

Committee, Liang Weilin and Zeng Dingshi

Clearly the visit was as successful as we could reasonably have hoped. The Chinese have shown by the level at which the Governor was received that they are fully prepared to do business with the Hong Kong Government despite its (to them) anomalous position. While there was nothing really new in their evident

concern to reassure investors about Chinese intentions towards

Hong Kong and their desire for increased trade, tourism and invest- ment, the restatement of these policies in such unequivocal terms and at such a high level was (as the Governor said in his letter of 10 April) new and reassuring.

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