CONFIDENTIAL
7.00 pm
Dinner
Sautrday 22 December
Early morning
Leave Hong Kong.
Address, to be televised live, to joint meeting of the Executive and Legislative Councillors.
At Government House for leading members of the community (about 40).
Press conference.
Given the short duration of the visit and its context, the Governor has recommended that it should be focussed entirely on Hong Kong topics. Hence the proposal for a visit to a District Board, which would be particularly appropriate since the Boards will provide the electoral college for elections to the Legislative Council under the new proposals. We envisage that the Prime Minister's televised address would take the form of a major speech on Hong Kong's future and its prospects as a business and financial centre. The Governor considers that such a speech would be the best possible way of launching Hong Kong towards 1997 and boosting domestic and international confidence in its future. To have maximum impact the speech would need to precede the Prime Minister's press conference, and for this reason we hope that the Prime Minister can agree to hold the conference early on 22 December before her departure. It could be held as early as 8.30 and the Prime Minister's aircraft could leave half an hour after it ended.
Composition of the Delegation
As agreed, the Foreign Secretary is looking again at the question of taking industrialists in the Prime Minister's party: we shall let you have further advice on this subject.
I should be most grateful if you could seek the Prime Minister's views on the above points.
You ever
Pairs Ricketts
(P F Ricketts) Private Secretary
C D Powell Esq
10 Downing Street
CONFIDENTIAL
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