TNAG-1241-FCO40-1554-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 40

CONFIDENTIAL

8/9/19

526

FROM: DATE:

R D CLIFT, HKD

8 September 1983

529

PS/Mr Luce

MKK040/1

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

. 2 SEP 1983

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

Action. Tide

7

CM1619

cc: PS/Lady Young

PS/PUS

VISIT TO CHINA BY LORD RHODES: OCTOBER 1983

Hd/Planning Staff Mr Elliott, FED PUSD

Mrs Priest, HKD

See (535)

1. Your minute of 5 September. I have spoken to Lord Rhodes. He has agreed to come to the Office at 4.30 on Thursday 22 September with Lady Llewellyn-Davies to see Lady Young. They will come to me beforehand at 4 o'clock for a more detailed briefing.

2.

Lord Rhodes sounded rather unhappy. He was clearly put out by the fact that we had asked Mr Goodlad and Mr Renton not to accompany him to China. He asked whether Mr Luce would want him to cancel altogether. I said I was sure he would not. He added that he had been asked by Courtaulds to help them in important business dealings in Hong Kong 'worth millions of pounds'. He thought this was important but 'did we still want him to go?' I said that of course there was no question of standing in his way; I understood that he had been invited by the Chinese.

3.

Chinst

Obviously Lord Rhodes, who has been trying to create the impression that he has been asked to go to China by HMG, is trying to salvage something which he can represent as official backing. I submit a draft reply from Mr Luce to Lord Rhodes' letter of 29 August which does not of course need to go into this point.

4. I shall attend Lady Young's meeting with Lord Rhodes and Lady Llewellyn-Davies.

8 September 1983

Dip

R D Clift

Hong Kong Department

× He raised the subject, not me.

Now

CONFIDENTIAL

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