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CONFIDENTIAL PERSONAL
HKB 011/3
CONFIDENTIAL
PERSONAL
FM PEKING
TO DESKBY 26083OZ FCO
TELNO 710
OF 260511Z APRIL 89
27 APR 1989
TO COPY Q DIST ?
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
321
011700
MDHIAN 2212
FOLLOWING PERSONAL FROM MISS BAILES FOR MCLAREN AND PAUL, H K D.
HONG KONG PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR.
298
YOUR TELNO 882 TO HONG KONG, HONG KONG TELNO 1297 TO F C O AND MY TELNOS 697-702. 310-315)
FAC VISIT TO CHINA: GENERAL IMPRESSIONS.
1. I HAVE COORDINATED THESE EMBASSY COMMENTS IN SIR A. DONALD'S ABSENCE FROM PEKING CON A COMMERCIAL VISIT).
2.
THE COMMITTEE ARRIVED FROM HONG KONG WITH THE FOLLOWING ISSUES UPPERMOST IN THEIR MINDS: NATIONALITY (INCLUDING THE INDIAN PROBLEM), VBPS, POLITICAL STRUCTURE, AND ARTICLE 157. THEY HAD BEEN STRUCK BY THE STRENGTH OF FEELING IN HONG KONG ON THESE ISSUES - ESPECIALLY THE FIRST AND SOMEWHAT BEMUSED BY THE MULTIPLICITY OF OPINIONS. (THEY CONFIRMED THAT THEY HAD BEEN VERY UNIMPRESSED BY MARTIN LEE). ONE COMMENTED THAT HE HAD BEEN MORE CONFUSED ON LEAVING H K THAN ON ARRIVING.
·
-
3.
SEVERAL MEMBERS, INCLUDING HOWELL, AND SHORE, INDICATED THEY DID NOT FEEL H K G OFFICIALS HAD BEEN VERY FORTHCOMING. THEY DESCRIBED THE BRIEFING THEY HAD RECEIVED IN LONDON AS RATHER GENERALISED AND BLAND: IT HAD NOT WARNED THEM OF THE LIKELY STRENGTH OF FEELING AND HAD NOT INCLUDED ENOUGH ON NATIONALITY (THEY WERE PLANNING TO ASK F C O AND THE HOME OFFICE FOR MORE ON THIS ON RETURN) THEY FOUND THE BRIEFING WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE THEM ON THE HISTORY AND GENERAL BACKGROUND OF CHINA AND CHINA/H K RELATIONS USEFUL AND SAID THEY WISHED THEY HAD HEARD MORE ON THIS IN ADVANCE. IT WOULD ALSO HAVE BEEN HELPFUL TO HAVE BEEN REFERRED TO SOME BOOKS ON CHINA FOR GENERAL READING. FCO SHOULD NOT ASSUME TOO MUCH ABOUT THEIR BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE. SEVERAL MPS SAID THEY HAD FOUND THE EMBASSY'S BRIEFING MORE USEFUL THAN WHAT THEY HEARD PREVIOUSLY. I REPORT THIS FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH: OUR
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CONFIDENTIAL PERSONAL
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