TNAG-1551-FCO40-2115-Possible-cultural-agreement-between-Hong-Kong-and-Japan-1986 — Page 13

CONFIDENTIAL

Exter

My Thomas (:)

17

BRITISH EMBASSY

PEKING

T9August 1986

R N Peirce Esq

Deputy Political Adviser

fiec

ник 2017

HONG KONG

22 SEP 1936

Dean Bob,

INL

1Y

Taken

Mek

POSSIBLE HONG KONG/JAPAN CULTURAL AGREEMENT

Rey

• copy with (115) :) My Blackwell, CAD

ско

A Dimond, FED

1. Thank you for copying to us your letter of 5 August to Anthony Layden.

т

2. Although there is no obligation for us to inform the Chinese of a bilateral, cultural agreement of this nature, which is not intended to extend beyond 1997, we would see advantage in letting them know informally that such an agreement was about to be concluded. The main aim would be to make clear the ambit of the agreement and be sure that it did not fall into any of the categories of new international agreements affecting Hong Kong on which they had asked us to consult them in advance. We consider it would be worth taking this preemptive action rather than have the Chinese suspect, on reading about the agree- ment in the press, that we were in some way trying to pull the wool over their eyes.

Yous Gut',

Barrie

E B WIGGHAM

t

ра

q

cc A M Layden Esq, HKD, FCO CEJ Wilton Esq. TOKYO

CONFIDENTIAL