Private Secretary-
FROM:
P J GOULDEN, NEWS
(293)
ར་ཡསཱ་ཡ་ས
+KK040/1
DATE:
11 APRIL 1984
CA
INTE
Enli
HONG KONG BRIEFING FOR EDITORS:
Attendance
1.
List at Annex A.
**
cc:
832414
PS/Mr Luce PS/PUS
Sir P Cradock
Sir W Harding Dr Wilson
Mr Clift, HKD
4.15 PM, 12 APRIL
Tone
2. Virtually everything in the brief will strike the Editors as deja vu. The main value of the briefing, for them, will be in hearing these points from the Secretary of State himself; and in forming a judgment of the seriousness and robustness of our position. Tone will therefore be very important. I suggest that the impression to convey is one of:
hard-headed realism
determination to get the best deal for Hong Kong which will be best in long term for UK
readiness to stand firm for Hong Kong's basic interests.
Impressions to avoid:
any suggestion of a patronising attitude (eg the need to ''educate'' the Chinese about Hong Kong
any flavour of a 'familiarisation'' visit. Purpose of visit is to conduct overview of negotiations on basis of great deal of background reading, briefing and consultation.
Overall Message
In using the material in the brief, I suggest that the Secretary of State should seek overall to convey that:
3.
Hong Kong is one of HMG's top priorities this year: consulting very closely with EXCO (4 visits) and
others.
1- we
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