TNAG-1634-FCO40-2250-Visits-by-Chinese-officials-to-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 40

布政司署

香港下亞厘畢道

CONFIDENTIAL

24

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

EMON

**OUR REF.: PA CR L/M 130/87

14 May 1987

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PAB Thomson Esq CVO

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POSSIBLE SPOSORING OF CHINESE OFFICIAL VISITORS

TO HONG KONG

The idea has been raised here (in General Duties Branch) that the HKG should consider sponsoring Chinese officials dealing with Hong Kong to come here in order to further their education on the territory. I should be grateful to have your thoughts on this. There are obvious problems as to who should be selected and how much control we could in fact keep over their programmes. On the face of it suitable candidates would be members of the Hong Kong and Macau offices; but do you think that it would be possible to get the right people and equally, do they already come to Hong Kong on official visits to NCNA?

There may be people from other Chinese departments who we could usefully invite, although as you know there is already a good deal of to-ing and fro-ing on economic and technical subjects. Essentially the sort of people we owuld like to get at would be the more influential policy makers who are still unaware of the fact of life here.

We have not gone into any detail at this end about funding. On the face of it, in order to have a reasonable say in the programmes of visitors we should pay expenses. Do you think the Chinese would accept? Equally, do you think there is a risk that they might try to reciprocate by inviting HKG officials to go on paid excursions to China →for propaganda purposes?

Yes; but I

notonly for →

this.

I should be very grateful to have your thoughts on

(ait)s

Mr Leeks, HKD, FCO

R D Clift

CONFIDENTIAL