5. CONFIRMED THAT YOU WOULD BE ACCOMPANYING THE PRIME MINISTER.
* ALSO TOLD ZHOU THAT WE DID NOT ENVISAGE THE PRIME MINISTER
HOLDING A PRESS CONFERENCE HN PEKING.
6. ON SUBJECTS FOR DISCUSSION IN THE TALKS WITH ZHAO, #: GAVE
HT AS MY PERSONAL VIEW THAT THESE WOULD FALL UNDER THREE HEADINGS:
HONG KONG SEMI-COLON HNTERNATIONAL SUBJECTS OF COMMON CONCERN SEMI- COLON AND BILATERAL MATTERS. ZHOU ASKED WHETHER I HAD SPECIFIC
PROPOSALS TO MAKE UNDER THESE THREE HEADS. #SAND THAT HAD NO SPECIFIC PROPOSALS TO MAKE AT PRESENT, BUT WOULD INFORM HIM WHEN » DID. ZHOU THEN SPOKE AT LENGTH ON THE GUANGDONG NUCLEAR PROJECT.
(SEE MIFT).
7. ZHOU SAID THAT PRESIDENT LI XHANNIAN MIGHT WISH TO MEET THE PRIME MINISTER IF HE WAS HIN PEKING AT THE THME OF THE VISIT. THIS WOULD BE APPROPRIATE, GIVEN THAT THE PRIME MINISTER WAS COMING OFFICIALLY TO SIGN THE AGREEMENT. THAT WOULD MAKE FOR A BUSY PROGRAMME IN A SINGLE DAY, BUT WHEN THIMING WAS AGREED THE DETAILED
ARRANGEMENTS COULD BE DISCUSSED WITH THE PROTOCOL DEPARTMENT.
B.
ZHOU SAID THAT THE CHINESE SIDE CONSIDERED THAT SIGNATURE WOULD BE A MAJOUR EVENT. THEY WOULD PREFER A 'GRAND CEREMONY''. THEY
KNEW THAT SOME IMPORTANT HONG KONG FIGURES WERE INTERESTED IN.
ATTENDING. THEY WERE CONSIDERING INVITING THEM TO BE PRESENT AS
OBSERVERS. WOULD WE THINK THIS APPROPRIATE? # SAID THAT N HAD
NOTED WHAT ZHOU HAD SAID AND WOULD REPORT #T. WHEN M HAD VIEWS
* WOULD COME BACK TO HIM. ZHOU SAID THAT AMONG THOSE CHINESE WERE CONSIDERING INVITING WERE SOME HONG KONG FIGURES WHO HAD ATTENDED THE NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATHONS. I ASKED WHETHER HE MEANT BY THIS MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCHLS. HE SAID THAT HE WAS ALSO THINKING OF FIGURES FROM INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL CIRCLES. NONE OF THESE PEOPLE SHOULD OF COURSE STAND *IN THE DELEGATIONS BEHIND THE TABLE SINCE SIGNATURE OF THE
AGREEMENT WAS A MATTER BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN. THEY COULD HOWEVER
OBSERVE FROM THE SIDE. NOTED THIS VIEW.
9.
# SAID THAT WE HAD BEEN FOLLOWING THE DEBATE ON THE AGREEMENT *IN THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE NPC WITH INTEREST. WE HAD STUDIED AND REPORTED WU XUEQIAN'S SPEECH. PENG ZHEN HAD YESTERDAY PROPOSED THAT THE STANDING COMMITTE SHOULD AGREE (TON YH CCC NUMBERS 0681 1042) THE AGREEMENT. DID THIS MEAN THAT THE DEBATE WAS NOW OVER? ZHOU SAID IT WAS NOT YET FORMALLY OVER. PENG ZHEN HAD INDEED SUMMED UP AND HAD PROPOSED THAT A RESOLUTION SHOULD BE PASSED, BUT THIS HAD NOT YET BEEN DONE, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE PASSED ON 14 NOVEMBER, THE FINAL DAY OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE'S PRESENT MEETING. HE ADDED THAT NO SPEAKERS HAD OPPOSED THE AGREEMENT, ALTHOUGH A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS HAD BEEN ASKED.
CONFIDENTIAL
FC040/1770
110