GRS 700
CONFIDENTIAL
DESKBY 13093OZ FCO
CONFIDENTIAL
597
HKU 040/57
нки
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
OP COP NOV 1984
PA
HEG Action Taken
Y
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
DESKBY 13060OZ HONG KONG
FROM PEKING 13043OZ NOV 84
TO IMMEDIATE FCQ
TELEGRAM NUMBER 2748 OF 13 NOVEMBER
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG DESKBY 130600Z
$3
49,54
MY TELNOS 2736
2738: FUTURE OF HONG KONG PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO PEKING AND HONG KONG
1. ZHOU NAN ASKED ME TO CALL ON HIM TODAY. HE SAID THAT ZHAO ZIYANG HAD INSTRUCTED HIM TO TELL ME THAT HE WOULD WARMLY WELCOME THE PRIME MINISTER ON THE DATES WHICH SHE HAD PROPOSED, ALTHOUGH HE (ZHAO) WOULD PERSONALLY HAVE LIKED HER TO HAVE STAYED IN CHINA SOMEWHAT LONGER.
2. ZHOU ASKED WHETHER I HAD VIEWS ON WHEN THE VISIT SHOULD BE
ANNOUNCED AND HOW IT SHOULD BE DESCRIBED. HE UNDERSTOOD THAT THE
PRIME MINISTER WOULD SIGN THE AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE BRITISH
GOVERNMENT. PREMIER ZHAO WOULD IN THAT CASE SIGN THE AGREEMENT ON
BEHALF OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. HE ASKED FOR CONFIRMATION THAT
IT WOULD BE UNNECESSARY FOR FOREIGN MINISTERS ALSO TO SIGN
THE JOINT DECLARATION.
3. I THANKED ZHOU FOR ZHAO'S RESPONSE, WHICH I SAID WOULD BE WELCOME IN LONDON. THE PRIME MINISTER WOULD CERTAINLY SIGN THE JOINT DECLARATION ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. THAT, I BELIEVED, WOULD OBVIATE THE NEED FOR YOU (AND FOREIGN MINISTER WU
J
ON THE CHINESE SIDE) TO SIGN ALSO. I SAID THAT I HAD NO SPECIFIC PROPOSAL TO MAKE ON THE TIMING AND FORM OF AN ANNOUNCEMENT SEMI-COLON PERSONALLY, I THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE NO OBJECTION TO ONE IN THE FAIRLY NEAR FUTURE. ZHOU SAID THAT HE ALSO HAD NOTHING SPECIFIC TO PROPOSE, BUT HE THOUGHT A SIMULTANEOUS ANNOUNCEMENT IN SIMILAR OR IDENTICAL TERMS WOULD BE BEST. AGREED. | ADDED THAT I HOPED
TO BE ABLE TO COME BACK TO HIM ABOUT AN ANNOUNCEMENT AND ON
THE OTHER QUESTIONS WHICH HE HAD PUT TO ME ON 10 NOVEMBER BEFORE I
LEFT FOR THE SOUTH ON 16 NOVEMBER.
4. ZHOU ASKED WHETHER I NOW HAD ANY SPECIFIC SUBJECTS TO PROPOSE
FOR THE TALKS AND WHETHER ANY SENIOR OFFICIALS WITH ECONOMIC RESPON-
SIBILITIES WERE LIKELY TO BE IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S PARTY. I SAID
THAT I HAD NOTHING SPECIFIC TO PROPOSE YET. DID THE CHINESE? ZHOU
SAID THAT AS HOSTS THEY WOULD NORMALLY FOLLOW THEIR GUESTS' WISHES.
5. I ASKED WHETHER HE HAD ANY VIEWS ON THE QUESTION OF SPEECHES AT
THE SIGNATURE CEREMONY. ZHOU SAID THAT, LIKE THE PRIME MINISTER, ZHAO ZIYANG WOULD MAKE A SUBSTANTIVE SPEECH AT THE BANQUET ON THE
EVENING OF 20 DECEMBER. IF THE BRITISH THOUGHT IT APPROPRIATE FOR
SPEECHES TO BE MADE AT THE SIGNATURE CEREMONY, THE CHINESE SIDE
CONFIDENTIAL
| COULD
Page 180Page 181