TNAG-1298-FCO40-1653-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 17

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FROM PEKING 111125Z APR 34

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 707 OF 11/4/84

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

HKK 0271 2

RECEN

REGRETRY 12 APR 1984

NEX

REGISTRY

Action Taken

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: YOUR VISIT:

PRESS STATEMENT.

1. A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS WERE PUT DOWN FOR THE REGULAR

MFA PRESS BRIEFING TODAY (11 APRIL) ASKING WHETHER

YOUR DISCUSSIONS WITH CHINESE LEADERS WOULD REPRESENT

AN UPGRADING OF THE TALKS. THE MFA PRESS SPOKESMAN WAS

INSTRUCTED NOT TO ANSWER SUCH QUESTIONS DURING THE

FORMAL PART OF THE PRESS BRIEFING. HOWEVER, IF APPROACHED AFTER THE BRIEFING, THE LINE HE WAS GIVEN TO TAKE WAS AS

FOLLOWS:

''SIR GEOFFREY HOWE WILL BE PAYING A FIRNEDLY VISIT AT

THE INVITATION OF STATE COUNCILLOR WU XUEQIAN. THEY WILL

BE HOLDING DISCUSSIONS ON CERTAIN INTERNATIONAL

QUESTIONS AS WELL AS QUESTIONS CONCERNING BILATERAL

RELATIONS. THE LATTER WILL NATURALLY INCLUDE THE

QUESTION OF HONG KONG. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT

THEIR TALKS WILL CONSTITUTE ANOTHER ROUND IN THE

TALKS ON HONG KONG''.

2. WE HAVE TOLD THE MFA THAT THIS FORMULATION WOULD

CAUSE US NO DIFFICULTY.

EVANS

FUTURE OF HONG KONG

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PSAR LUCE

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SER J BULLARD

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IR WILSON

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SIR C TICKELT

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MR ROBERTS

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