TNAG-0841-FCO40-1050-Visit-of-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-Chi-1979 — Page 250

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8 MAR 1979

39

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FM HONG KONG 07110OZ MAR 79

TO IMMEDIATE F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 4L OF 7 MARCH

No

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON INFO PRIORITY PEKING.

HONGAID PLEASE PASS TO HK AND G DEPT AND FED.

34 MY TELNO 336: GOVERNOR'S VISIT TO CHINA.

1. THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE GOVERNOR'S VISIT TO CHINA IS REPORTED PROMINENTLY IN TODAY'S ENGLISH AND CHINESE PRESS. EDITORIAL COMMENT WELCOMES THE VISIT, WITH A NUMBER OF NEWSPAPERS MAKING THE POINT THAT IT IS INDICATIVE OF THE PRESENT EXCELLENT RELATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN AND CHINESE SATISFACTION OVER THE PRESENT STATE OF AFFAIRS IN HONG KONG.

2. A NUMBER OF PAPERS SAY THAT IMMIGRATION IS ONE OF THE SUBJECTS LIKELY TO BE RAISED BY THE GOVERNOR DURING HIS VISIT. OTHERS MENTION CHINA'S PLANS FOR MODERNISATION, COMMUNICATIONS AND JOINT VENTURES. SOME QUOTE RELIABLE SOURCES' AS SAYING THAT THE NEW TERRITORIES LEASE WILL NOT BE DISCUSSED.

3. THE SCMP ALSO CARRIES A STORY FROM ITS LONDON CORRESPONDENT. THIS SAYS THAT OFFICIALS IN LONDON ARE VERY HAPPY AND ENCOURAGED BY THE FORTHCOMING VISIT. IT ALSO SAYS THAT THERE IS ''MUCH PRIVATE SPECULATION AMONG MINISTERS AND OFFICIALS' ABOUT WHETHER THE CHINESE INTEND TO RAISE THE FUTURE RENEWAL OF THE NEW TERRITORIES LEASE'', ADDING HOWEVER THAT THERE HAS BEEN ''NO OFFICIAL HINT' TO THIS EFFECT.

MACLEHOSE

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