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From: Chris Patten, MP
CCI Gow
کرنا حیا کے
HOUSE OF COMMONS
LONDON SWIA QAA
:
29th October, 1979
R30
Finish,
As you may know, last week I visited Hong Kong with a Parliamentary delegation led by Paul Bryan. The main purpose of our visit was the study of the refugee situation, but we were also able to take a broader look at the problems being tackled by the government of Hong Kong.
I know that Paul Bryan will be taking up with you and colleagues the points that were raised with us during our visit. But there is one subject which I should mention to you directly myself since it was brought up after Paul had left Hong Kong for a visit to Bangkok.
An open letter to you in the Far Eastern Economic Review at the end of last week caused a great deal of press interest and some discussion in commercial circles at the end of our stay in Homg Kong. You will probably have seen or been briefed on the article in which it was argued that the time was ripe for the future position of the colony to be raised formally in your discussions with Chairman Hua. At a press conference at the end of our visit we were pressed hard to say whether we agreed with this. We refused to comment ourselves on the reasonable grounds that there are others far better placed than us to advise you on these matters, but I did say that I would pass on to you the fact that the matter had been raised with us.
I do no more than that: having never ever been to China it would be absurdly presumptuous of me to offer tactical advice on your discussions with Chairman Hua.
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