SECRET
ire Ae
week
after
caster.
(b)
(c)
There is an inward State visit on 11 and 12 April.
The House rises on 13 April and resumes on a day undecided in
Easter week.
Logic therefore points to a Peking/Hong Kong pair of visits in the week beginning 15 April, allowing at least 48 hours in each place. One possible difficulty would be the timing of a statement by the Secretary of State in Hong Kong (which might take place on 18 or 19 April), in relation to the Parliamentary timetable. It may be felt that there would be difficulty with the House about a statement on
this major subject being made outside the UK during the Recess.
However the dates do not really allow for any other arrangement. The Secretary of State may wish to discuss this with the Leader of
the House and suggest that the Government give an undertaking that a statement will be made on the Secretary of State's return at the end
of April.
11.
Cancelling or postponing the visits to Japan and Korea would not provide an alternative window since they fall in the week in which President Reagan is visiting China. In any case we have already put off the visit to Japan once and the Koreans would be
very sensitive if we suggested changes at this late stage. FED
would strongly oppose any suggestion of an alteration in the plan to visit Japan and Korea.
12. This would mean a heavy commitment of the Secretary of State's
time to Far Eastern questions in April. There is however no doubt that the negotiations will have reached a critical stage by that
time. The Secretary of State's involvement would help our cause
greatly in giving a general boost to the progress of the negotiations and in taking up any points of importance remaining
outstanding from the discussion of Agenda Item 1 in the
negotiations. I shall submit separately on the details of our strategic presentation to the Chinese and on this latter point.
5 March 1984
SECRET
R D Clift
Hong Kong Department
/Mr
Mr Clift's
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.