DSR 11 (Revised)
DRAFT:
RESTRICTED
minute/letter/teleletter/despatch/aste
FROM:
Mr Elliott
DEPARTMENT:
TEL. NO:
TYPE: Draft Final
Reference
Your Reference
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
TO:
Mr Donald
PS/Lord Belstead
Top Secret
Staret
i
Confidential
Restricted
Unclassified
PRIVACY MARKING
SUBJECT: LETTER FROM MR ROBERT ADLEY,
.......................In Confidence
1.
CAVEAT.......
Enclosures-flag(s).
MP
Copies to:
Mr Clift, HKGD
Mr MacInnes, Inf Dep
་
Mr Bryant, Finance D The Hon Eustace
Gibbs CMG, Protoco Conference Dept
I submit a draft reply to Mr Adley's letter of
13 December to the Secretary of State.
2. Mr Adley who has been a helpful Chairman of the UK/
China Parliamentary Group, raises two questions:
3.
小
a. the effect on UK/China relations of the
Hong Kong problem;
b.
whether the FCO would sponsor a visit to China
by an All-Party Group of Members of Parliament.
On (a) one could argue that even if Hong Kong
collapses entirely, both Britain and China will continue
to exist and the arguments, particulary strategic and
commercial, for maintaining good relations will not be
weakened. But UK/China relations are not the only
factors in the equation, and we should not leave Mr Adley
and his colleagues (or their contacts at the Chinese
Embassy) in any doubt that HMG is proposing to abandon
its responsibility to the people of Hong Kong in order
to keep on good terms with Peking. The attached draft
makes this point.
4.
On, (b) I cannot see a case for our subsidizing a
Even without such
Parliamentary visit to China.
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