Mr Donald
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RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51
5 NOV 1981
DESK OFFICER INDEX
PA
REGISTRY Action Taken
flis 16lu
SIR Y-K PAO
PROBLEM
To reply to Sir Y-K Pao's letter of 23 October proposing that the Prime Minister might launch one of his ships in Shanghai during her visit to China next year.
RECOMMENDATION
2.
See (12
I recommend that subject to approval by No 10 (draft Private Secretary letter attached) Lord Carrington should reply on the lines of the attached draft.
HKGD agree.
BACKGROUND AND ARGUMENT
3.
Sir Y-K Pao mentioned his proposal to the Prime Minister on 17 July. She said that she would bear it in mind.
4.
Sir Y-K Pao increasingly casts himself in the role of an intermediary between China and Britain and no doubt sees his idea (and the linked reciprocal proposal he mentions) as a means of emphasising the mutual benefits of Hong Kong's
prosperity to both countries. There is something in this argument. But before deciding whether to pursue the proposal we should need to consult HM Ambassador in Peking and the Governor of Hong Kong about:
5.
(a) the political desirability seen from
their end (the Governor is inclined
to see Sir Y-K Pao as principally
interested in self-promotion; and HM
Ambassador may have doubts about how
the Chinese would react);
the practical considerations;
date for the Prime Minister's visit
(b)
no
has yet been put to the Chinese, nor
has consideration been given to a
programme in China.
We do not need to take a position on Sir Y-K Pao's
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