TNAG-2353-FCO40-3423-Visits-by-Lord-Caithness--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and--1991 — Page 205

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PS/Lord Caithness

15 November 1991

Mr Burns

Mr Crystal, News

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LORD CAITHNESS' LUNCH WITH MR YAXLEY, 14 NOVEMBER

Lord Caithness

1. Thank you for your minute of 13 November. encouraged Mr Yaxley to establish a regular working relationship with British editors and senior journalists so that he could feed in Hong Kong views on key subjects at the right moment. He also pressed the case for the Governor to have a press secretary. Mr Yaxley accepted both points.

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2. Mr Yaxley said that many middle ranking civil servants in Hong Kong did not understand the way Hong Kong played in British politics and were not therefore as responsive sometimes as we might wish them to be. He thought it would be useful if Lord Caithness were to meet local civil servants at the level below policy secretary during his next visit. Lord Caithness thinks that this is a good ideal and would follow naturally from his meeting with local Secretaries last July. He would like to take up Mr Yaxley's suggestion when he next visits, probably in February.

3.

Lord Caithness intends to see Mr Yaxley regularly from now on, about once a month.

15 November 1991

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Peter Tibber

PS/Lord Caithness