TNAG-1372-FCO40-1818-Ministerial-visits-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 222

CONFIDENTIAL

THAT HONG KONG STOOD HIGH ON HIS OWN LIST OF PRIORITIES AS CONFIRMED BY THIS EARLY VISIT: AND THAT HE LOOKED FORWARD TO

CONTINUING HIS PREDECESSOR'S CLOSE INVOLVEMENT IN HONG KONG

AFFAIRS AND CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HONG KONG PEOPLE. (A

STATEMENT ON THESE LINES WOULD PROVIDE A BASE LINE FROM WHICH

TO HANDLE THE PRESS CONFERENCE ON 31 OCTOBER AND WOULD OBVIATE THE NEED TO ANSER QUESTIONS MEANWHILE.)

4. THE FORMAL PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE MORNING OF 31 OCTOBER WILL

BE AN IMPORTANT ONE. AT THIS STAGE MR. RENTON WILL BE ABLE TO SPEAK WITH THE ADVANTAGE OF A CLOSE LOOK AT ALL MAJOR ASPECTS OF HONG

KONG LIFE. THE NEW LEGCO WILL HAVE BEEN OPENED AND HE WILL BE IN A POSITION TO REFER TO THE SPEECHES MADE ON THAT OCCASION. NEVERTHELESS MR. RENTON IS BOUND TO BE SUBJECTED TO SHARP QUESTIONING ON A RANGE OF ISSUES, A NUMBER OF THEM DIFFICULT. WE SHALL BE TELEGRAPHING SEPARATELY IN THE COMING WEEKS. LISTING THE TRICKY ISSUES AND SUGGESTING LINES TO TAKE.

YOUDE

LIMITED

FED

HKD

SEAD

PROTOCOL D

NEWS D

PS

PS/MR RENTON

PS/PUS

MR WILSON

THIS TELEGRAM

WAS NOT ADVANCED

2

CONFIDENTIAL

>