TNAG-1030-FCO40-1280-Proposed-visit-by-Humphrey-Atkins--Lord-Privy-Seal--to-Hong--1981 — Page 209

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.In Confidence

CAVEAT..

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Lord Carrington has agreed that the Lord Privy

Seal should visit the Far East from 2-17 January 1982.

First Mr Blaker, then Mr Ridley, before they left the Foreign Office, had intended to visit the Far East

this autumn. The Lord Privy Seal, when he took over

responsibility for the Far East, was unable to manage the dates proposed, but can do so during the Christmas

recess.

The Lord Privy Seal would visit China from

4-7 January; Hong Kong from 8-11 January; Korea from 11-13 January; and Japan from 14-17 January. The purpose of the visit will be primarily familiarisation, but also one of our regular senior Ministerial visits to

the Far East. In particular in China and Japan, it will

fall between the Secretary of State's own visit last year and the possibility of the Prime Minister going to

& Toby Peking next autumn. In Korea we are pursuing a number of important contracts which a senior ministerial visit may help to advance. A visit to Hong Kong has come to be expected when any major ministerial visit to China takes place. It would be particularly opportune to reaffirm HMG's commitment to Hong Kong in the wake of the Territory's complaints over the Nationality Bill.

/The

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