TNAG-1470-FCO40-1999-Visits-by-Chinese-officials-to-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 125

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12

OCMIAN 9236

CONFIDENTIAL

PP PEKIN

FM FCOLN TO HOKON

210930Z JAN

GRS 274

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO PRIORITY HONG KONG

TELNO 129

OF 21093OZ JANUARY 86

INFO PRIORITY PEKING

!+KKO27/4.

12 JAN 1986

Affs

9236 - 1

ken

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HONG KONG AGREEMENT:

YOUR TELNO 115 AND PEKING TELNO 85: BY SENIOR CHINESE FIGURES TO HONG KONG 1.

VISITS

WE AGREE THAT WE SHOULD TRY TO ARRANGE FURTHER VISITS BY SENIOR CHINESE FIGURES TO HONG KONG. 2.

WE FIND THE AMBASSADOR'S ARGUMENTS AGAINST AN INVITATION TO CHEN MUHUA PERSUASIVE, AND FAVOUR THE IDEA OF INSTEAD ASKING WU XUEQIAN TO VISIT HONG KONG, IF NECESSARY EN ROUTE TO ANOTHER DESTINATION. IF YOU AGREE, GRATEFUL FOR THE AMBASSADOR'S ADVICE ON HOW SUCH AN INVITATION SHOULD BE PUT.

3.

WE ALSO AGREE THAT IN DUE COURSE THOSE LEADERS REFERRED TO IN PARA 4 OF PEKING TUR COULD USEFULLY BE INVITED TO HONG KONG.

WE THINK HOWEVER THAT WE SHOULD NOT FLOOD THE CHINESE WITH A SERIES OF INVITATIONS AT ONCE. IT WOULD BE BEST PERHAPS TO START WITH ONE TO WU.

4.

WE ARE A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT RULING OUT AN INVITATION TO ZHOU NAN. WHATEVER HIS PERSONALITY, HE IS A KEY PLAYER IN THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG AND WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT HE IS AS WELL INFORMED AS POSSIBLE. AS YOU SAID ABOUT JI, HONG KONG HAS QUITE AN EFFECT ON VISITORS AND EVEN ZHOU MAY NOT BE IMMUNE. FURTHERMORE AS WE RECALL THAT WE HAVE ALREADY FLOATED

THE IDEA OF A VISIT TO HONG KONG WITH HIM IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE

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CONFIDENTIAL