TNAG-1224-FCO40-1537-Visits-to-the-UK-by-official-and-unofficial-members-of-the-E-1983 — Page 73

Mr Donald

Cc:

PS/Mr Luce

PUS

Mr Giffard

Mr Thomson, FED

SECRET

Mr Clarke News Department

Mr Hoare, HKD

да

сдзор

neit

fre

(63)

I have left a can of the attached

& draft tel. with MoResumes, asking min to let us have the go-ahead.

23/6

PRESS REPORTS ON VISIT BY UNOFFICIALS TO LONDON

1.

There are already reports in the Hong Kong press, according to Hong Kong Tel 851, that the unofficials are to visit London in early July. One paper goes as far as to suggest that 4 and 5 July are the most likely dates. News Department and the Hong Kong Government Office in London have also been questioned by the media.

2. The line being taken at the moment both here and in Hong Kong is that we have no comment to make at this stage. As you know the present plan is for the unofficials to come here over the weekend 2/3 July, to have meetings in London on 4 and 5 July and to return on 6 July.

The Governor would arrive in advance on 1 July and return to Hong Kong with them.

3. Hong Kong naturally are anxious to go ahead and announce the visit officially. This depends however, on the Ambassador in Peking speaking again to his informal interlocutor at the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The complication is that the Chinese have informally sug- gested that substantive talks might begin on 4 July. Our view, which is set out in FCO Tel 386, is that the visit by the unofficials should go ahead as planned and that we should suggest to the Chinese that talks might instead begin a week later i.e. on 11 July. As soon as we hear again from the Ambassador we should be in a postion to give the visit by the unofficials the official go ahead.

23 June 1983

تم کیا

HKK 026/5

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

2 4 JUN 1983

DESK OFFICER

PA

233 3722

REGISTRY

Action Taken

W Morris

Hong Kong Department K 221

PS Reference the last sentence of para 3 above. We have now heard

from the Ambassador (Peking tel 580). On this basis I consider that we can now go ahead with arrangements for the Unofficials! visit. I therefore attach a draft telegram to Hong Kong and to Peking, which, with your agreement, and perhaps the Private Office's, should go as soon as possible.

SECRET