SECRET
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 2385
OF 261157Z JULY 91
1
SECRET
HKD $26/13 1/26/13
RECEIVED ** DEGISTKY
1 AUG 1991
•HSK OFFICE
P
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
H
126707
MDHIAN 6938
19
Pr's voit ра
file.
PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO CHINA
1. I HAVE BEEN GIVING SOME THOUGHT TO WHAT THE HONG KONG OBJECTIVES OF THE PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO CHINA MIGHT BE.
2. CLEARLY, THE SIGNATURE OF THE AIRPORT MOU WILL BE THE CENTRE-PIECE. BUT THAT IS THE ONLY MATTER DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE AIRPORT THAT NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH NOW. AFTER MY MEETING WITH LU PING ON 25 JULY, I CANNOT SEE A NEED FOR DISCUSSION OF ANY OF THE DETAILED ISSUES COVERED BY THE MOU.
3. ONE OBJECTIVE, WHICH IF ATTAINABLE WOULD BE VERY VALUABLE IN THE YEARS AHEAD, WOULD BE A STATEMENT PERHAPS AS PART OF A JOINT COMMUNIQUE WHICH GAVE IMPETUS TO JLG WORK. THIS COULD TAKE THE FORM OF THE TWO PRIME MINISTERS COMMITTING THEIR GOVERNMENTS TO ACCELERATE WORK AND TO APPROACH IT IN A POSITIVE AND PRAGMATIC VEIN. GALSWORTHY WILL TELEGRAPH WITH MORE DETAILED SUGGESTIONS.
4. THE PRIME MINISTER MIGHT ALSO TRY TO SECURE CHINESE AGREEMENT TO OUR PROPOSAL FOR A BRITISH CONSULATE-GENERAL. WE WOULD OF COURSE NEED TO PREPARE THE GROUND IN ADVANCE. BUT I SEE THIS AS THE RIGHT TIME TO GO FOR AN AGREEMENT ON A MATTER WHICH MIGHT OTHERWISE DRAG ON FOR AGES. I ALSO SEE THIS AS A BETTER TIME THAN SOME OTHERS MIGHT BE TO GO PUBLIC WITH AN ARRANGEMENT THAT GIVES HKG THE SITE FREE, AT A NOTIONAL COST TO THE HONG KONG TAXPAYER OF SOME HKD228 MILLION (C. GBP 17 MILLION).
5. IN ADDITION TO MEETINGS BETWEEN THE TWO PRIME MINISTERS, YOU WILL NO DOUBT HAVE A MEETING WITH QIAN QICHEN.
THIS IS A COPY THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN
CLOSED UNDER
FOI EXEMPTION NO....27)
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