TNAG-0841-FCO40-1050-Visit-of-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-Chi-1979 — Page 301

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HKK026/3

Mr Cortazzi

PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts

Priva

Private Secretary

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HICK card,

1978

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228 HKK.cool,

1978

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INVITATION TO THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG TO VISIT CHINA

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Problem 1. In his letter of 15 December, Sir Murray MacLehose seeks guidance on how to reply to a Chinese invitation to visit Peking. The approach was made informally by the Director of the Hong Kong office of the New China News Agency (NCNA), but there can be no doubt that the Director was acting on instructions from Peking. The invitation followed earlier indirect approaches apparently originating from Liao Chengzhi (Liao Cheng-chih), who is, among other things, Chairman of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council.

2.

I sent the Governor an interim reply on 20 December, explaining why we would be unable to let him have a decision before Christmas as he originally requested. Background and Argument

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To the best of my knowledge no Governor of Hong Kong has visited China since the late Sir Alexander Grantham did so privately in October 1955. (Sir Alexander stayed with the British Chargé I have been d'Affaires in Peking and according to the Governor

For most of unable to trace papers was received by Chou En-lai.) the 20 odd years since then the question of a further visit has not arisen as a serious proposition. The Chinese have taken no initiatives in the matter, and for much of the time relations between China and Hong Kong have not been good enough to permit private visits. For many years all except the most lowly Hong Kong Government servants have been forbidden to visit China privately, and successive Governors have regarded this policy (only now being relaxed) as applying a fortiori to themselves. They and we have been very conscious of the risk that a visit to Peking could affect confidence by, for example, sparking off speculation that the Governor had been summoned to account for his actions.

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It is not entirely clear why the Chinese should have chosen

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