TNAG-1297-FCO40-1652-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 251

:

Sir P

SECRET

THIS IS A COPY THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN

CLOSED FOR 40 YEARS UNDER FOI

IS UNDER

EXEMPTION No... .270

Cradock

PS/Mr Luce Minister

Private Secretary

5/3/41

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see (55156"

57

FROM: R D CLIFT, HKD

DATE: 5 March 1984

1.573

Cc: PS/PUS

Sir W Harding

HKK 027/2

RECEIVED N

KGISTRY

– 8 MAR 1984

DESK DEVICES

INDLY

MA

BW 0/3

6/3 KER 3/2

Sir I Sinclair

Dr Wilson

Mr Burrows, Legal

Advisers

Mr Thomson, FED

Miss Neville-Jones,

Planning Staff

Mr Roberts, News

Department

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISITS TO PEKING AND

HONG KONG

PROBLEM

1.

To decide dates for the Secretary of State's visits to Peking and Hong Kong.

RECOMMENDATION

2.

I recommend that we put to the Chinese Government and to Hong Kong the revised dates for a separate visit to Peking and Hong Kong in that order in the week beginning 15 April. The visits to Korea and Japan from 23-27 April would stand. FED agree.

BACKGROUND

3.

At present the plan is for a visit to Hong Kong from 27 to 29 April. At his press conference in Hong Kong last week Mr Luce said that the Secretary of State intended to visit Hong Kong as soon as possible. He told EXCO that the idea was that this should take

place in April.

4.

For Peking, allowance has been made for the possibility of a visit from 21-23 April, again as part of the overall Far East tour.

No announcement has been made.

ARGUMENT

5.

SECRET