TNAG-1160-FCO40-1440-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Hong-Kong--1982 — Page 24

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CONFIDENTIAL

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FM HONG KONG 030637Z SEP 82

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PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT: SPEECHES

YOUR LETTER OF 27 AUGUSUT TO ADAMS REFERS. I UNDERSTAND HE IS COMMENTING DIRECT.

196

2. I HAVE NO COMMENTS ON THE SPEECH FOR CASTLE PEAK.

3. ON THE SPEECH FOR THE BUSINESSMEN'S LUNCH, I HAVE TWO COMMENTS:

1

A. THE TENOR OF THE OPENING PARAGRAPHS IS PATRONISING (THERE IS TOO MUCH OF THE HUSTLE-BUSTLE' AND HARD WORK) AND PORTRAYS HONG KONG TO BE A WORLD LEADER E.G. 'SUCCESS IS SECOND TO NONE AND ECONOMIC MIRACLE. SUGGEST THAT THE INTRODUCTION BE TONED DOWN. P.M. COULD SIMPLY SAY SHE IS GLAD TO BE BACK: AND NOTE THAT HONG KONG HAS MADE GOOD PROGRESS,

B. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THE DELETION OF THE TWO PARAGRAPHS ON PAGE 7 ON TEXTILES AND THE MFA. THIS WOULD BE GIVEN TOO MUCH ATTENTION BY THE LOCAL MEDIA AND THE IMPACT OF THE MAIN THEME OF THE SPEECH WOULD BE REDUCED. I AGREE THAT REFERENCE NEEDS TO BE MADE TO TEXTILES BUT IT SHOULD BE IN A MUCH LOWER KEY. I SUGGEST THAT AFTER THE FIRST SENTENCE ON PAGE 7 THE PRIME MINISTER SHOULD SAY BRIEFLY THAT SHE IS AWARE OF HONG KONG'S DIFFICULTIES OVER TEXTILES, THAT BRITAIN HAS ITS OWN DIFFICULTIES BUT THAT IT IS STILL AN EXCELLENT MARKET FOR HONG KONG.

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