TNAG-1868-FCO40-2656-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Taiwan-1989 — Page 24

CONFIDENTIAL

2011

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Mr

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Ms Hajar,

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Miss Marsden

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Friends of Hong Kong

32

Thank you for your submission of 1 November recommending that we should advice Dame Jill Knight that we would prefer her not to allow Mr Major's letter of 18 September to her to be published. I telephoned Dame Jill this afternoon and explained the difficulties to her. I said that it could be particularly damaging if the letter were to appear in a Taiwanese newspaper. The Chinese would certainly jump to the conclusion that HMG had deliberately put it there. We were at a delicate stage in our dealings with them over Hong Kong, and we would prefer to avoid complications of that kind.

Dame Jill said that she fully understood and that her own instinct had been along these lines. She was under some pressure to reveal the contents of Mr Major's letter to colleagues in the Hong Kong Committee. She proposed to give them an account in her own words at the Committee's next meeting in about three weeks time. If there was any risk of anything getting into the press, she would get in touch with me and go over the text.

I have spoken to the Chancellor's office and am copying this minute and the papers to them for information. I very much doubt, however, that Dame Jill will be in touch with Mr Major about this.

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(R N Peirce)

3 November 1989

CC:

PS/Mr Maude

Mr McLaren

Mr Millington, FED

CONFIDENTIAL