SEORET
4. SO FAR AS I CAN JUDGE AT THIS POINT, BOTH MARCH AND MAY WOULD
BE MANAGEABLE FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THIS POST. IN JUNE WE HAVE A LARGE ENERGY EXHIBITION AND A VISIT BY THE DUKE OF KENT.
ANYTHING LATER WOULD BE TOO NEAR THE GOVERNOR'S DEPARTURE.
5. IDEALLY THERE IS ONE MISSING PIECE OF INFORMATION I SHOULD
LIKE BEFORE WE LAUNCH THE OPERATION, NAMELY THE TERMS OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF RELATIONS BETWEEN PORT-
UGAL AND CHINA. THE MFA SAY ONLY THAT THIS IS STILL _' 'FORTHCOMING''
WHICH MAY MEAN THAT THERE HAS BEEN SOME LAST MINUTE SNAG. ALTHOUGH
NO CHANGE IN THE STATUS OF MACAO WAS EXPECTED AS PART OF ANY NEW SINO/PORTUGUESE AGREEMENT, IT WOULD BE THE FIRST OBVIOUS
OCCASION FOLLOWING NORMALISATION FOR THE CHINESE TO SAY SOMETHING
BEARING ON THE FUTURE OF THE TWO COLONIES. BUT BY MARCH WE SHOULD.
WITH LUCK HAVE SOME LIGHT ON THIS. IN ANY EVENT THE BEST WAY OF
FINDING OUT HOW THE CHINESE SEE THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG WOULD BE
THE TWO VISITS IN QUESTION.
B THE ABOVE IS WRITTEN ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE GOVERNOR WILL
BE RAISING THE LEASES QUESTION. BUT I WOULD REACH THE SAME REC-. OMMENDATION EVEN IF WE WERE TO DECIDE NOT TO MENTION THE LEASES.
IT WOULD BE SURPRISING IF THE GOVERNOR'S VISIT TOOK PLACE WITH-
OUT THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG BEING TOUCHED ON IN ONE WAY OR
ANOTHER, AND MANY OF THE ARGUMENTS ABOVE IN FAVOUR OF AN EARLY
VISIT WOULD STILL BE VALID,
CRADOCK
FILES
HKJGD
FED
PS
PSILORD GORONWY-
PS/PUS
ROBERTS
SIR. A.DUFF
MR CORTAZZ.!
MR MURRAY
SECRET
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