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 IN PEKING.
6. ON SUBJECTS FOR DISCUSSION HN THE TALKS WITH ZHAO, M. GAVE
IT AS MY PERSONAL VIEW THAT THESE WOULD FALL UNDER THREE HEADINGS:
HONG KONG SEMI-COLON INTERNATIONAL SUBJECTS OF COMMON CONCERN SEMI-
COLON AND BILATERAL MATTERS. ZHOU ASKED WHETHER HAD SPECIFIC
PROPOSALS TO MAKE UNDER THESE THREE HEADS. # SAID THAT HAD NO
SPECIFIC PROPOSALS TO MAKE AT PRESENT, BUT WOULD HNFORM HIM WHEN I
DID. ZHOU THEN SPOKE AT LENGTH ON THE GUANGDONG NUCLEAR PROJECT.
(SEE MIFT).
ZHOU SAID THAT PRESIDENT LI XIANNIAN MIGHT WISH TO MEET THE
PRIME MINISTER HF HE WAS IN PEKING AT THE TIME 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 TIMING WAS AGREED THE DETAILED
ARRANGEMENTS COULD BE DISCUSSED WITH THE PROTOCOL DEPARTMENT.
8.
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? | SAND THAT HAD
NOTED WHAT ZHOU HAD SAID AND WOULD REPORT IT. WHEN M. HAD VIEWS
I 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 CELEBRATIONS. ASKED WHETHER HE MEANT BY THIS MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS. HE
SAID THAT HE WAS ALSO THINKING OF FIGURES FROM HINDUSTRIAL 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. I 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 XUEQHAN'S SPEECH. PENG ZHEN HAD YESTERDAY PROPOSED
THAT THE STANDING COMMITTE SHOULD ''AGREE'' (TON Y 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
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