CONFIDENTIAL
•
4. When visits by senior Chinese were first considered
late last year, we foresaw the risk of them being viewed
publicly as the "new owners inspecting the premises"
We concluded however that this was a risk worth taking
in order to expose Chinese leaders who deal with Hong Kong affairs to the realities of Hong Kong. There is one specific advantage of a visit by Ji at this time, in addition to the general one of exposure. This is that it will give the Governor an opportunity to allay, at a
high level, Chinese anxieties on the development of
representative government. Indeed a talk with Ji might
initiate the in formal dialogue which we wan t to hold
with the Chinese on possible post-1997 structures of
in
government. This dialogue might then be carried on Hong Kong with Xu Jiatun. In this way the subject might be removed from the Joint Liaison Group where the glare of publicity and the sensitivities of the two sides make it an inappropriate topic for debate. We have put this idea to the Governor, who will discuss it with Dr Wilson. and Mr Galsworthy who will be passing through Hong Kong this week on their way to the JLG meeting in Peking.
20 November 1985
KK 027/16
*CEIVED IN REGISTRY
INDEX :
26 NOV 1985
PA
AJB 26/11
CONFIDENTIAL
Vonathan Powell
fr
W G Ehrman
Hong Kong Department
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