TNAG-2400-FCO40-3487-Political-relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Japan-1992 — Page 24

CONFIDENTIAL

0.52 MDHIAN 767

IN THE FIRST PLACE AND FOR THE TIMING. OUR MAIN PREOCCUPATION HERE WILL BE TO KEEP THE MATTER IN CONTEXT AND AVOID ANY WIDER IMPACT ON JAPAN'S OTHERWISE POSITIVE VIEW OF HONG KONG AND ITS COMMERCIAL CHUTZPAH. IT WOULD BE A GREAT PITY TO SEE ANY SLIPPAGE IN THE STRONG INTEREST AND SUPPORT EXPRESSED TO ME TODAY OVER LUNCH BY SENIOR DIET MEMBERS, INCLUDING AN EX-PRIME MINISTER AND AN EX-FOREIGN MINISTER, BOTH OF WHOM FIGURED THEY HAD PUT THEMSELVES OUT FOR THE FUTURE PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG.

BOYD

YYYY

DISTRIBUTION

19

ΜΑΙΝ

19

.G7 POLITICAL DIRECTORS

SINGLE COPIES

ERD//HD

CFSP UNIT//HD

FED

HKD

EASTERN D

PLANNERS//MR CLARKE

PLU

PS/PUS

MR APPLEYARD

MR CROWE

MR GREENSTOCK

MR MUIR

MR HUM

MR LOGAN

.HMT//SIR N WICKS

CAOFF//MISS NEVILLE-JONES

PS

NNNN

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CONFIDENTIAL