TNAG-2041-FCO40-2906-Overseas-visits-by-Sir-David-Wilson--Governor-of-Hong-Kong-1990 — Page 122

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PS/PUS

CONFIDENTIAL

PA Gov's visits

isiks

517194

MAB @26/4

Мив

RECEIV

AUG 1990

TRY

FROM:

..un Taken

DATE:

R M Marsden

Hong Kong Department

26 July 1990

Сс

Mr McLaren

Ks. Ke la

Huay

PX8

You. I ago.

Ka Clay pos (both pages)

PATRICK RIGHT

HONG KONG: ABSENCES FROM POST BY THE GOVERNOR

A

B

1.

The Governor of Hong Kong has questioned whether the

standard procedures set out in FCO Circular 150/90 of 6 June are really appropriate as far as he is concerned. He has suggested that it would be more sensible if he continued to clear his lines informally with this department as he has

done hitherto. Mr McLaren agrees.

2. The Governor of Hong Kong is clearly in a very different

position from Heads of Mission and the Governors of other dependent territories, given the size of the Hong Kong

Government and his heavy programme of overseas travel.

Moreover, as one of our objectives is to bolster the

autonomy of the Hong Kong Government in the run up to 1997,

it would set an undesirable precedent if the Governor was

required to seek formal permission from the FCO whenever he wished to leave the territory. In practice, the Governor is punctilious about keeping us informed of his movements.

CC5ABX/1

CONFIDENTIAL