TNAG-2620-FCO40-3811-Official-visits-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong-1992 — Page 30

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Mr Hum

Mr Morris

24/11

FROM:

DATE:

H Ll Davies

Far Eastern Department

23 November 1992

Cc:

Sir J Coles

Mr Ricketts, HKD

My Barnes- Tory pa

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PRIME MINISTER'S VISITS FOR 1993

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1. In your minute of 18 November you asked for a memory-jogger setting out where we stand on the idea that the Prime Minister should visit Tokyo before or after the G7 Summit in July 1993. At Mr Rickett's request, this minute also includes the Hong Kong angle.

Japan

2-

You told Minister Sugino at the Japanese Embassy on

6 October that the Prime Minister's visit would not take place in January. The Embassy in Tokyo passed the Prime Minister's message to the Japanese MFA on 8 October. The final paragraph of the message said "I wondered therefore whether we might look instead at the possibility of my coming a day or so early, and staying a day or so after, the Economic Summit in July. I do hope this might be possible." The Ambassador spoke to Miyazawa's Private Secretary about the postponement on 9 October, who later reported that Mr Miyazawa fully understood the position. The PUS spoke to Owada at their meeting on 9 October.

3. On 22 October Japanese Political Director Saito told Mr Appleyard, who was visiting for the Political Directors' Troika talks, that the Japanese hoped that the visit could be reinstated quickly, eg. in late April. Sir J Boyd warned that it was more likely to be immediately before or after the Tokyo Summit. Hyodo asked Sir J Coles during his visit for confimation that the Prime Minister would not visit before 31 March, warning that April had filled up with other visits. He said that the Japanese were hoping that Mr Major might come between April and the Tokyo Summit. Sir J Coles said a visit before the end of March was most unlikely. In answer to Sir J Coles' question, Hyodo said that a visit immediately before the Summit could not be excluded but there might be competition from the other G7 leaders. The Political Counsellor at the Embassy in London, confirmed to Mr Sherrington on 18 November that the Japanese were

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