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RECEIVED INREGISTR
16 JUL 1984
DESKBY FCO 13083OZ
FROM PEKING 1305OOZ JULY 34
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1395 OF 13/7/84
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG DESKBY 1306OOZ
f20
YOUR TELNO 757: FUTURE OF HONG KONG: YOUR VISIT TO PEKING.
1. I CALLED ON ZHOU NAN THIS MORNING AND SPOKE AS INSTRUCTED.
2. AFTER REPEATING ALMOST EVERYTHING HE HAD SAID TO ME ON 11 JULY (MY TELNO 1360), ZHOU SAID THAT, IN VIEW OF THE PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES WHICH YOU WOULD FACE IN ACCEPTING THE TIMETABLE SUGGESTED BY WU XUEQIAN, WE WOULD BE CONTENT TO FALL IN WITH YOUR SUGGESTED TIMETABLE. BUT HE (WU) HOPED THAT YOU WOULD NOT FEEL DISOBLIGED BY THE FACT THAT HE WOULD NEED TO LEAVE CHINA BEFORE
YOU DID.
3. I SAID I WAS SURE YOU WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR WU'S WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT YOUR SUGGESTED DATES AND THAT YOU WOULD NOT FEEL AT ALL DISOBLIGED BECAUSE WE WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE ON 30 JULY.
PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS
4. ZHOU SAID HE HAD A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS:
(A) WHEN EXACTLY WOULD YOU ARRIVE ON 27 JULY AND DEPART ON
31 JULY?
(B) WOULD YOU PREFER TO DELAY STARTING WORK UNTIL 28 JULY?
(C) WOULD YOU WISH TO RESTRICT YOUR VISIT TO PEKING?
(D) ON WHICH CHINESE LEADERS WOULD YOU WISH TO CALL?
5. ZHOU SAID THAT, AS THE TIMING WAS DECIDED, WE SHOULD NOW AGREE WHEN AND HOW TO INFORM THE PRESS. HE SUCCESTED THAT WE MIGHT PUT FORWARD THE DRAFT OF A PRESS STATEMENT WHICH COULD BE ISSUED SIMULTANEOUSLY IN BOTH CAPITALS.
6. I TOLD ZHOU THAT YOU WOULD BE VISITING HONG KONG ON YOUR WAY TO AND RETURN FROM PEKING SEMICOLON ZHOU TOOK THIS WITH EQUANIMITY.
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/AGENDA