TNAG-0852-FCO40-1062-Visits-of-Royal-Navy-ships-to-Hong-Kong-and-China-1979 — Page 17

CONFIDENTIAL

DSR 11C

11. The Ministry of Defence have suggested that the Task Group that visits China might also visit Vladivostock, either before or after the Chinese visit. This would doubtless be operationally convenient for the Royal Navy. But the Chinese would be reluctant to accept a visit on these terms, and it would lose us whatever credit we might get from the visit to a Chinese port. Nor would it gain us much with the Russians. However, these might be a case for a balancing visit, perhaps by a smaller number of ships, to a Soviet port later, perhaps in 1981.