TNAG-2693-FCO40-3896-Meetings-and-calls-on-Alastair-Goodlad--Minister-of-State-fo-1993 — Page 51

Khank

Thank

you

پڑا له

Sevetry T-State

På (rom Bilateral)

Nal

“ያ

RONG TONG

We sent you Chris Patten's statement to LegCo last Friday explaining the position reached. Liberals suspicious that we are gearing up for concessions or secret deals. I will have a chance to knock press speculation on the head in the House today.

Chris Patten and ExCo have now decided that if Chinese do not agree arrangements for talks by 11 March the draft legislation should be published on 12 March.

In the absence of a satisfactory Chinese response, we will therefore publish the legislation on Friday. That does not commit Chris Patten to putting it into Legco immediately.

Expect that if we do publish, the Chinese will huff and puff in public. But there are signs that their leaders have decided that they should resolve their differences with us through negotiations. (Their muted reaction to Chris Patten's statement on 5 March supports this analysis). may be willing to accept talks in due course, even if these run in parallel with LegCo debate.

They

- Chris Patten visiting London 5-15 April. You are giving him lunch on 13 April. I will be seeing him on 15 April.

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