TNAG-1838-FCO40-2613-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 49

CONFIDENTIAL

वाउ

HKB 011/3

100754 MDHOAN 4599

TO COPY Q. DIST ?

57

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE PEKING

TELNO 109

OF 09163OZ FEBRUARY 89

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

CORRECTED VERSION

FROM PAUL, HKD

HONG KONG: PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR

BTC HONG KONG: PERSONAL FOR HOLLOWAY

YOUR TELNO 122: FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ENQUIRY INTO HONG KONG

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AS YOU WILL HAVE SEEN FROM OUR SEPARATE TELEGRAM TO HONG KONG, THE TIMING OF THE COMMITTEE'S VISIT TO PEKING HAS BEEN CHANGED ONCE AGAIN BECAUSE OF THE SINO-SOVIET SUMMIT. THE REVISED DATES ARE NOW 22-25 APRIL. THE CHINESE EMBASSY HAS BEEN

INFORMED.

2. THE CHINESE EMBASSY HAS TOLD THE COMMITTEE CLERK THAT THEIR FORMAL HOSTS IN PEKING WILL BE THE PEOPLE'S INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS. MME ZHANG YOUYUN, SUGGESTED TO THE CLERK THAT YOU SHOULD NOW CONTACT THE INSTITUTE ABOUT THE DETAILS OF THE COMMITTEE'S PROGRAMME. IT MIGHT ALSO BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO GO OVER THE GROUND WITH THE INSTITUTE IF THEY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BACKGROUND TO THE FAC OR HOW FAC ENQUIRIES WORK.

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WE HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING WHAT SHOULD BE DONE HERE TO BRIEF THE MPS ABOUT THE VARIOUS CHINESE SENSITIVITIES THE COMMITTEE WILL NEED TO BEAR IN MIND WHEN CONDUCTING THEIR ENQUIRY (WITHOUT OF COURSE APPEARING TO BE IN ANY SENSE APOLOGISTS FOR THE CHINESE). AS PART OF THIS PROCESS OF EDUCATION, MINISTERS HAVE AGREED THAT IT WOULD BE USEFUL FOR YOU TO HAVE AN OFF-THE-RECORD SESSION WITH THE COMMITTEE WHEN YOU ARE BACK ON MID-TOUR LEAVE. SUCH A MEETING MIGHT ALSO BE A USEFUL OPPORTUNITY TO GO OVER ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE VISIT TO PEKING. AS YOU KNOW, THERE ARE STANDING ARRANGEMENTS AGREED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE, WHEREBY WE INFORM THE FAC CLERK OF MID-TOUR LEAVE PLANS OF ALL HEADS OF MISSIONS WITH WHOM THE COMMITTEE MIGHT WISH TO HAVE AN INFORMAL AND OFF-THE-RECORD MEETING. SUBJECT TO YOUR VIEWS WE WOULD THEREFORE PROPOSE TO INVITE THE COMMITTEE CLERK TO LET US KNOW WHETHER THE COMMITTEE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE UP THIS OFFER. WE WOULD OF COURSE WARN THE CLERK THAT YOU COULD NOT BE EXPECTED TO

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