TNAG-0841-FCO40-1050-Visit-of-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-Chi-1979 — Page 254

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CONFI, ENTIAL

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HKK @6/3.15:51

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CONFIDENTIAL

FS HONG KONG 0463452 MAR 79

TO IMMEDIATE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

TILNO.337 OF 4 MARCH,

5 MAR 1979

BRRY

1 - 2

INDEX

по

PA

26.3

ば

Take

TAPO INMEDIATE: PEKING, HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON(PERSONAL FOR

1.

BRAY).

MY TELNO.236 VISIT TO CHINA.

WE INTEND TO ANNOUNCE THE VISIT AT 1643 LOCAL (0846%)

ON 6 MARCH USING THE FOLLOWING TEXT:

AT THE INVITATION OF MR LI QIANG, MINISTER OF FOREIGN TRADE OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, THE COVERNOR WILL BE VISITING CHINA FROM 24 MARCH TO 4 APRIL. HE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY

LADY MACLEHOSE, SIR YUST-KEUNG AND LADY KAN, AND DR AND MRS WILSON,>*

THIS WORDING HAS DEEN AGREED WITH NONA. WE WILL CONFIRM THE

TIMING OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO THEM LATER.

2. ON 6 MARCH WE WILL GIVE BACKGROUND BRIEFING FOR SELECTED

JOURNALISTS AS IN MY TELNO.396. IN ADDITION WE WILL MAKE IT

CLEAR THAT THE INVITATION WAS UNDER DISCUSSION SOME TIME BEFORE

THE FIGHTING IN VIETNAM BEGAN.

3. MEANWHILE WE WILL TRY TO MOLD THE LINE AS IN PARA.3 OF MY TEL UNDER REF NOWA HAVE AGREED THAT THEY WILL INSTRUCT THE

PRESS THEY CONTROL TO ACT SIMILARLY.

MACLEHOSE

FILES

( SENT ALSO BY BAG TO FFKING]

PS/LORD GORONWI

NK & GD (6)

PS

FED

NEWS D

ROBERTS

OID

76/PUS

IPD

SIR A DUFF

SIR A PARSONS NR CORTAZZI MR MURRAY

COPIES 40

MR BRAY

HONG KONG GOVERNMENT

OFFICE, LONDON

CONFIDENTIAL