TNAG-0852-FCO40-1062-Visits-of-Royal-Navy-ships-to-Hong-Kong-and-China-1979 — Page 38

CONFIDENTIAL

..

Miss Johns, Defence Dept.

(E 321)

HKK 076/1.

ES IN REGISTEY AY.

3 1 JUL 1979

OFFICER

SHIP VISITS TO CHINA

31

14

HKK 076/1

1. Please refer to Mr Fursland's minute to you of 26 July.

2. I should like to lend our weight to the views expressed by FED and remind you of the urgent need for an RN visit to Hong Kong. You will remember that we were pressing for a visit this autumn and serious consideration was given to detaching a ship from Task Group 317.8 after the group's trip to Singapore in September. We withdrew our request when it became clear that there were valid operational objections to such a scheme but, in doing so, were guided by what we considered to be the virtual certainty of a major visit to Hong Kong and China in 1980. I too would like to know if this is now in doubt.

31 July 1979

cc:

Mr Fursland, FED (K255) Mr Crow, EESD (W103)

NA Ling

Hong Kong and General Department K242

233 3988

CONFIDENTIAL