5
GRS 400
SECRET
DESK BY 1109OOZ FCO
DESKBY 11063OZ HONG KONG
SECRET
FROM PEKING 11050OZ JUL 84
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1360 OF 11 JUL
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
Tc
TCP COPY
THICK 027/21
11 JULIS34
See 17
12
YOUR TEL NO 736 AND MY TELNO 1351 : FUTURE OF HONG KONG :
YOUR VISIT TO PEKING.
1. AT THE END OF THIS MORNING'S SESSION, ZHOU NAN ASKED TO SEE ME.
2.
ZHOU SAID THAT HE COULD NOW ANSWER THE PROPOSAL I HAD PUT TO HIM YESTERDAY ABOUT A WORKING VISIT BY YOU TO PEKING. HE HAD CONSULTED WU XUECIAN AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND HAD BEEN
INSTRUCTED TO MAKE THREE POINTS:
(A) WU WOULD WELCOME A SECOND WORKING VISIT BY YOU TO PEKING
(SEMI COLON)
(5) YOUR PREFERRED TIMETABLE WAS FOR A VISIT FROM THE EVENING OF 27 JULY TO THE AFTERNOON OF 31 JULY. FROM 22 JULY TO 27 JULY, WU WOULD BE ACTING AS HOST TO THE PAKASTIN FOREIGN MINISTER AND THEN TO THE THAI FOREIGN MINISTER. AT MID-DAY ON 30 JULY,
HE WAS DUE TO LEAVE CHINA FOR A TOUR OF LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES FROM WHICH HE WOULD ONLY RETURN ON 20 AUGUST. HIS PREFERRED
TIMETABLE WAS THEREFORE THAT YOU SHOULD ARRIVE IN PEKING
ON 19 OR 19 JULY AND STAY UNTIL 22 JULY. HE WOULD BE GRATEFUL
TO KNOW WHETHER THIS TIMETABLE WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO YOU (SEMI-
COLON)
(C) BECAUSE TIME WAS SHORT, WU HOPED THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO LET ZHOU NAN HAVE YOUR REPLY TOMORROW (12 JULY).
>
3. ZHOU ADDED THAT AN ADDITIONAL REASON WHY THE CHINESE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW YOUR REACTION TOMORROW WAS THAT THE DATES OF THE NEXT ROUND OF TALKS WOULD HAVE TO BE SETTLED AND ANNOUNCED THEN.
IT WOULD BE UNFORTUNATE IF DATES, ONCE ANNOUNCED, HAD TO PE
CHANGED.
ZHOU ALSO SAID THAT, SPEAKING PERSONALLY, HE WOULD BE GLAD TO KNOW WHAT THE BRITISH SIDE CONSIDERED TO BE THE REMAINING
DIFFICULTIES IN THE NEGOTIATION. IN THE VIEW OF THE CHINESE SIDE, THESE RELATED TO THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD AND ESPECIALLY
TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A JOINT GROUP IN HONG KONG.
SECRET
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