186
GR 130
SE
E T
SECRET
ال منه
188
FM HONG KONG 061044Z SEP
DESKBY 061100Z
TO IMMEDIATE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1247 OF 6 SEPTEMBER 1979
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING.
RECEIVED
INDER
по
PEKING TELNO 772 TO FCO: NEW TERRITORIES LEASES.
- 7 SEP 1979
S04/189
30.51
1. I HAVE NO OBJECTION TO THE AMBASSADOR RAISING THE SUBJECT WITH SONG, PROVIDED THERE IS NO REFERENCE TO THE DEADLINE OF
MY SPEECH.
2. IT IS IMPORTANT TO CLEAR THIS HURDLE AS SOON AS WE SAFELY CAN, BUT ON NO ACCOUNT SHOULD WE RISK A FLAT NO BY PUSHING TOO HARD TOO SOON. A NEGATIVE REPLY COULD BECOME KNOWN HERE AND BE VERY DAMAGING.
3. ON TIMING, THE CHINESE SHOULD BE IN NO DOUBT THAT OUR AIM IS
TO FORESTALL A SLIDE IN CONFIDENCE. HOWEVER, IT WOULD BE IMPLAUSIBLE TO SUGGEST THERE IS ANY DANGER OF THIS WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR: AND TO MAKE IT APPEAR THAT WE FEEL WE HAVE TO ACT HERE IN OCTOBER WOULD EXCITE SUSPICION OF OVER-ANXIETY AND A
WISH TO BOUNCE. THE CHINESE.
4. IF, AS IS QUITE LIKELY, THE CHINESE HAVE NOT YET HAD ENOUGH
TIME TO CONSIDER THE MATTER, I WOULD PREFER TO WAIT A BIT LONGER BEFORE DECIDING WHETHER OCTOBER IS STILL ON. OUR STRATEGY IS, AFTER ALL, BASED ON THE BELIEF THAT, IN TIME AND WITH REFLECTION, THE CHINESE WILL COME TO SEE THAT IT IS IN THEIR INTERESTS FOR THIS RATHER NARROW LEGAL PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED IN A WAY WHICH DOES
NOT PREJUDGE ANY WIDER POLITICAL QUESTIONS.
MACLEHOSE
FILES
HK & GD
FED
FRD
MR MURRAY
SECRET
བ-ས
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