TNAG-0852-FCO40-1062-Visits-of-Royal-Navy-ships-to-Hong-Kong-and-China-1979 — Page 15

CONFIDENTIAL

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minute/letter/teleletter/despatch/note

DSR 11 (Revised)

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SUBJECT:

POSSIBLE ROYAL NAVAL VISITSTO CHINA

UNION

AND THE SOVIET

CC:

CAVEAT....

Mr Mallaby, EESD

Mr Gillmore, DD

Mr Burges Watson, TRED

Mr P Moberly

PROBLEM

1. The Ministry of Defence have sought our views on;

a) a proposal that a Royal Navy Task Group should visit a Chinese port during a planned deployment next year to North East

Asian waters; and

b) the possibility of a balancing visit by the Royal Navy

to a Soviet port.

RECOMMENDAT ION

I recommend that the Secretary of State write to the Secretary of State for Defence along the lines of the attached draft letter.

2.

3. Defence Department and EESD concur.

Enclosures-flag(s)...........

BACKGROUND

for about 8 months

4. Every year a Royal Navy Task Group deploys outside the NATO area for a series of visits to, and exercises with navies of, friendly nations. At present a Task Group is in South East Asian waters, having visited Australia and other South Pacific countries, and will return to the UK via the

Indian Ocean and Suez Canal. It is planned that next year's Task Group will deploy to North East Asia, via the Gulf and Indian Ocean. It will consist of two destroyers, three frigates

and three/four support ships.

CONFIDENTIAL

15.

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