TNAG-0841-FCO40-1050-Visit-of-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-Chi-1979 — Page 292

GR 295

ECRET

SECRET

HEK 006/3

FM HONG KONG 030454Z FEB 79

TO PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH YFFICE TELNO,200 OF 3 FEBRUARY,

INFO PRIORITY PEKING.

1.

MY TELNO.159: INVITATION TO VISIT CHINA.

IN

No

羹

1 바이드

YESTERDAY NCNA TOLD THE POLITICAL ADVISER THAT LI QIANG (LI CH'TANG), THE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN TRADE, WOULD LIKE TO INVITE MYSELF, MY WIFE, AND AN ACCOMPANYING PARTY TO VISIT CHINA EITHER IN THE LATTER PART OF FEBRUARY OR BETWEEN THE LAST WEEK SEMI-COLON THE MINISTER HAD OF MARCH AND FIRST WEEK OF APRIL

OTHER ENGAGEMENTS BETWEEN THOSE TWO PERIODS,

2. SUBJECT TO CRADOCK'S VIEWS I THINK WE NOW NEED TO GO FIRM ON

THE LATTER PART OF ONE OF THESE DATES, OR SUGGEST ALTERNATIVES.

FEBRUARY GIVES NO TIME FOR ADEQUATE PREPARATIONS AND MUST IN ANY I COULD CASE BE RULED OUT BECAUSE OF MY OTHER COMMITMENTS HERE. HOWEVER GO AT THE END OF MARCH OR BEGINNING OF APRIL, IF IT IS AGREED I SHOULD GO BEFORE THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

3. ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT ESSENTIAL TO DECIDE WHETHER I SHOULD MENTION

THE LEASES QUESTION BEFORE GOING BACK TO THE CHINESE ON DATES, IT

WOULD BE HELPFUL TO DO SO SOON.

4. THE ISSUE WILL NEED TO BE TAKEN SLOWLY AND APPROACHED WITH

CAUTION, MY OBJECT WOULD BE FIRSTLY TO JUDGE WHETHER THE TIME WAS RIPE FOR AN APPROACH IN THE LIGHT OF WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT HONG KONG, AND IF SO TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND EMPHASIS ITS LIMITED NATURE. ONLY IF THE RECEPTION SEEMED RIGHT WOULD I GO ON TO INDICATE IN GENERAL TERMS THE SOLUTION WHICH THE EMBASSY WOULD BE PROPOSING.

MACLEHOSE

FILES

HK & GD

TED

PS/LORD GOROWNY

ROBERTS

PS/PUS

SIR A DUST MR CCRTAZZI MR MURRAY

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