TNAG-2924-FCO40-4199-Visits-by-Ministers-and-officials-from-third-countries-to-Ho-1993 — Page 86

CONFIDENTIAL

FM OTTAWA

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 093

OF 182249Z MARCH 93

CONFIDENTIAL

AND TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, PEKING

34

074231

MDADAN 8912

cc Minister Canache.

ec

Mern's

ре

Pl. sek

HKD'S FAX OF 16 MARCH: VISIT BY MR JOE CLARK TO CHINA AND HONG KONG, 19-30 MARCH

SUMMARY

1. CANADA'S FORMER FOREIGN SECRETARY, JOE CLARK, TO VISIT PEKING NEXT WEEK. CANADIANS WILLING TO HELP OVER HONG KONG.

DETAIL

2.

WE HAVE PASSED THE BRIEF AND PAPERS RECEIVED FROM THE DEPARTMENT TO RODNEY BRIGGS, THE EXTERNAL AFFAIRS OFFICIAL ACCOMPANYING MR CLARK.

3.

BRIGGS, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR NORTH ASIA RELATIONS, WAS GRATEFUL. HE SAID THE POINTS TO MAKE WERE WELL-TAKEN, MOST ALREADY FIGURED IN THEIR OWN BRIEFING. BRIGGS SAID HE WOULD WELCOME ANY NEWS OF FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS BEFORE THEY MOVED ON TO CHINA. HE SUGGESTED ANYTHING FURTHER BE PASSED TO THE CANADIAN MISSION IN HONG KONG BY 23 MARCH. HE WOULD CALL IN THERE THEN BEFORE MOVING ON TO CHINA THE FOLLOWING DAY.

1913

CLARK'S VISIT TO CHINA WILL BE CANADA'S MOST HIGH-LEVEL VISIT SINCE TIANANMEN, FOLLOWING VISITS BY THE CANADIAN MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE IN LATE 1991 AND THE MINISTER OF TRADE LAST YEAR. CLARK WAS IN ANY CASE TO ATTEND A WILLIAMSBURG CONFERENCE IN ZHONG SHAN (23-24 MARCH) ORGANISED BY THE ASIA SOCIETY. THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS HAD ASKED HIM TO EXTEND HIS VISIT TO PEKING TO DISCUSS CURRENT BILATERAL ISSUES. CLARK, WE WERE TOLD, READILY AGREED AS CHINA HAD BEEN AN AREA OF THE WORLD HE WAS NOT ABLE TO VISIT DURING HIS TENURE AS FOREIGN SECRETARY. THE DEA ALSO SAID HIS HIGH RANK IN CABINET (AS MINISTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS) AND GRASP OF WORLD AFFAIRS HAD MADE HIM AN IDEAL CANDIDATE FOR THE RATHER DELICATE AND

SENSITIVE BRIEF HE WOULD HOLD.

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CONFIDENTIAL

2 2 MAR 1993

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