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RECORD OF A MEETING BETWEEN THE PRIME MINISTER AND VICE CHAIRMAN
NG XIAOPING AT THE GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE ON FRIDAY 24 SEPTEMBER
AT 1030 A.M.
Present
Prime Minister
H.E. Ambassador
Governor of Hong Kong
Mr. F.E.R. Butler
Mr. A.E. Donald
Mr. A.J. Coles
Mr. A. Galsworthy
Mr. R. Peirce
Vice Chairman Deng Xiaoping
Mr. Huang Hua
Mr. Zhang Wenjin.
Mr. Ke Hua
Mr. Wang Benzo
Mr. Cao Yuanxin
Mr. Lu Ping
Mr. Zheng Yaowen
i
After an exchange of courtesies Mr. Deng Xiaoping said that
he had read the minutes of the Prime Minister's discussions with
Premier Zhao Ziyang. They had had good talks on international issues, and there were not big differences between Britain and China. Observing that Sir Edward Youde was a member of the Prime Minister's party, he suggested that the present talks should concentrate on Hong Kong, on which Premier Zhao Ziyang had expressed the basic viewpoint of the Chinese Government in the talks on the previous day. Mr. Deng Xiaoping said that he would like to hear the Prime Minister's comments on what Premier Zhao Ziyang had said. The Prime Minister said that she was grateful to Mr. Deng for raising this question. Its importance was evident from the presence in Peking of the Hong Kong press and journalists from all over the world. She believed that Mr. Deng had seen the record of the
discussion on Hong Kong on the previous day and the carefully drafted press statement which had been issued afterwards. At present there were some differences between the positions of the.. two sides which she hoped that it would be possible to resolve through co-operation and consultation. She would start by emphasising one or two points and would then hope to get down to discussion and to agree what the two Governments would do and what they would say to the press.
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The Prime Minister