CONFIDENTIAL
Peking and here that it is in their interests as much as ours to make the Prime Minister's visit a Success in substance as well as form, and that Chinese agreement for the proposed site for the future Consulate-General would be one indication of this in our eyes. A visit by the Prime Minister is part of the price we have had to pay for a satisfactory deal on the airport. Now that we are committed to the visit, we should not present it as imposed on us by force majeure, but should be seen to be making the best possible use of it to promote British
interests over Hong Kong, as well as pursuing other issues (eg human rights) that may help to defuse criticism, and (eg P5-related subjects) that demonstrate the benefits of international co-operation with the Chinese.
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