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should try to avoid putting ourselves in the role of demandeur
over the airport project itself. Although I know you wish to
announce the tendering for the bridge in order to maintain the timetable for completing the project by 1997, I think the Secretary of State will want to avoid giving the Chinese the impression that time pressures give them the tactical
advantage. It would be helpful to have your views.
8.
If it does not prove possible to resolve the issue in
advance of the Peking visit, then I think it may be wiser if at first the Secretary of State were not accompanied in
Peking by any team from Hong Kong. My thought is that this
would give too great an impression of anxiety on our part and I am glad that you told the Chinese that this was not our
current intention. It might be better if the Secretary of
State spoke toughly to the Chinese leadership in the knowledge
that if they showed greater flexibility he could summon a team
to resume negotiations in parallel. But I imagine that no
such team would be able to engage with Lu Ping himself unless
you personally were leading it. We need to think further on
the tactics for this. As you recognise the Secretary of State does not wish to put himself in a position where he would have to engage in, or preside over, detailed financial or airport negotiations on your behalf.
We should welcome such further comments as you can manage by 250800Z, so that we can formulate advice for Ministers.
9.
HURD
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