TNAG-0841-FCO40-1050-Visit-of-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-Chi-1979 — Page 297

8310

SECRET

SECRET

FM HONG KONG 200441Z JAN 79

Hke 026/3

REENED POLY NO. 51 22 JAN 079

OFFIC

RA

©

| No

See

TO PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

TELNO.140 OF 20 JANUARY,

INFO PRIORITY PEKING.

YOUR TELNO.60: INVITATION TO VISIT PEKING.

jaction Teken

1. I AM DELIGHTED THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE IS TO VISIT PEKING

AT EASTER AND PERHAPS HONG KONG TOO.

2. WITH REGARD TO THE TIMING OF MY OWN VISIT I SHOULD LIKE TO

KNOW CRADOCK'S VIEWS. BUT IF YOU AGREE WITH HIM THAT I SHOULD MAKE AN APPROACH ABOUT THE NEW TERRITORIES LEASES, THE FOLLOWING

POINTS SEEM WORTH CONSIDERING (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER OF PRIORITY);

(A) THIS ISSUE COULD TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS TO SETTLE.

MOST OF

THE WORK WILL BE DONE IN PEKING OR LONDON BUT SOME MUST BE DONE HERE, WITH N C N A AND EVENTUALLY EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.

IF

I AM TO HELP BEFORE MY DEPARTURE IN AUGUST, THE SOONER WE MAKE A MOVE THE BETTER..

*

(B) TO RAISE THIS TOO SOON AFTER THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT,

IN THIS UNLESS HE HAD GIVEN WARNING, MIGHT LACK CREDIBILITY. CASE WE WOULD NEED TO WAIT UNTIL THE SUMMER, WHICH WOULD BE GETTING LATE, AT ANY RATE FOR ME.

(C)

IF THE SECRETARY OF STATE DID GIVE WARNING DURING HIS VISIT, IT WOULD NOT BE EASY TO DO SO WITHOUT EITHER GOING INTO DETAIL OR RISKING MISUNDERSTANDING. BUT THIS SORT OF DETAIL DOES NOT SEEM APPROPRIATE FOR A VISIT CONCERNED WITH LARGE ISSUES.

SECRET

/(D) THERE