TNAG-1304-FCO40-1660-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 204

HKCK 027/21

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

13 JUL 1984

DESK OFFICEA

INDEX

V

SECRET

Sir P Cradock

Private Secretary

Teen cosive

✓ dontt

спр

あ

Sammy of Grace

FROM: R D CLIFT, HKD

DATE: 11 July 1984

cc; PS/Mr Luce

PS/PUS

Sir W Harding

Mr Orr, FED

Mr Goulden, News Dept

A

B

C

16

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

1.

FCO telno 736 to Peking instructed Sir R Evans to put to the Chinese a proposed visit which would involve arriving in Peking on 27 July and leaving on 31 July. Sir R Evans saw Zhou Nan on 10 July. The Chinese reaction is in Peking telno 1360. In this Wu Xueqian welcomes a visit by the Secretary of State but, because of his programme proposes that the visit be brought forward to 18/19 July until 22 July.

2. It would be extremely difficult to meet the Chinese preferred dates. It would mean embarking on the visit before we had all the information we required from the working group and it would be presentationally alarming for Hong Kong. Moreover the Secretary of State has firm dates in Brussels on 23 and 24 July which would be disrupted if he visited Hong Kong after Peking on the Chinese proposed schedule.

3. In Peking telno 1365 the Ambassador, after consultation with the Governor, makes the point about the disadvantage of the

Chinese proposal and recommends that we should go back on our original timetable. He does not think that this would seriously disconcert the Chinese. This seems a sensible course of action. It would mean that Wu Xueqian could receive the Secretary of State and take part in the initial discussions although he might have to miss some of the talks and would not be there when the Secretary of State left.

4.

I submit a telegram agreeing with the Ambassador's proposal.

11 July 1984

SECRET T

R D Clift

Hong Kong Department

17