TNAG-2756-FCO40-3973-Hong-Kong-Business-Works-Conference--London-address-by-John-1993 — Page 56

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FROM: P F Ricketts

HKB 102/4

Hong Kong Department DATE: 15 September 1993

27 SEP 1993

cc: Mr Fry, FED

4

ها میکنه

Mr Húm PS/Mr Goodlad

Mr Wye, RAD

that the mists outweit

вый AR1515.

HONG KONG CONFERENCE IN LONDON: POSSIBLE LIVE LINK-UP WITH

ZHU RONGJI

1. The Hong Kong Government Office in London and Institute of

Directors are organising a big conference in the City in

November which the Prime Minister and the Governor will be

addressing.

2.

The conference will be chaired by Lord Young. He suggested

recently in a telephone call to the Governor that the conference should include a live satellite link-up with Zhu Rongji, and that this would give Zhu a platform to say reassuring things about Chinese intentions towards Hong Kong.

The Governor told Lord Young that his initial reaction was

negative on the grounds that:

3.

It was impossible to know now what the state of our relations with China over Hong Kong would be by

mid-November. We might be handing Zhu Rongji a platform at a time of renewed confrontation;

Although Zhu Rongji was the driving force behind

economic reform in China, he was best remembered in

Hong Kong for his damaging remarks in London last

November which appeared to cast doubt on Chinese

commitment to the JD.

But the Governor undertook to reflect and discuss the idea with

the FCO.

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