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4. BLUNT REMINDED WANG THAT WE WISHED TO ANNOUNCE THE COMPOSITION OF THE JOINT LIAISION GROUP AND OF THE LAND COMMISSION
AT THE SAME TIME AS ANNOUNCING THE DATE OF RATIFICATION. HE
THEN MADE THE POINTS IN YOUR SECOND TUR.
BLUNT SAID THAT AN ANNOUNCEMENT AT 21070OZ COULDBE TOO EARLY.
HE THOUGH IT WOULD BE NECESSARY FOR THE TWO SIDES TO
SYNCHRONISE THE TIMING OF ANNOUNCEMENTS.
5. WANG WELCOMED OUR WISH FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO BE MADE ON 21 MAY. HE SAID THAT THE CHINESE WOULD LIKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO
BE BROADCAST ON THE NATIONAL TV NEWS AT 1900 (LOCAL).
AN ANNOUNCEMENT MADE, FOR EXAMPLE, AT 1800 (LOCAL) WOULD LEAVE INSUFFICIENT TIME FOR THIS. AS A PERSONAL SUGGESTION, HE WONDERED WHETHER THE ANNOUNCEMENT COULD BE DELAYED UNTIL 22 MAY
IN ORDER TO GIVE BOTH SIDES MORE TIME. THIS WOULD ALSO COINCIDE
WITH THE MFA'S REGULAR WEDNESDAY PRESS BRIEFING. BLUNT TOOK NOTE
AND UNDERTOOK TO SEE GUIDANCE.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF COMPOSISION OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP
6. WANG SAID THAT THE CHINESE SIDE COULD AGREE THAT THE ANNOUNCEMENT ON COMPOSITION OF THE JOINT LIAISION GROUP SHOULD BE MADE AT THE SAME TIME AS THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DATE OF RATIFI- CATION. WANG ASKED ABOUT THE TERMS OF OUR PROPOSED ANNOUNCEMENT AND WHETHER IT WOULD INCLUDE THE OFFICIAL POSITIONS OF OUR JLG
MEMBERS.
7. BLUNT WELCOMED CHINESE AGREEMENT AND SAID THAT WE WERE STILL CONSIDERING THE TERMS OF AN ANNOUNCEMENT. IN THE MEANTIME
(AT CHINESE REQUEST) HE HANDED OVER A LIST OF OUR JLG MEMBERS (AS IN PARAGRAPH 2 OF YOUR FIRST TURI E WITHOUT ANY DESCRIPTION OF MEMBERS' OFFICIAL POSITIONS).
8. WANG REITERATED THE CHINESE VIEW THAT THE
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE LAND COMMISSION SHOULD NOT TAKE PLACE UNTIL REMAINING ISSUES CONCERNING
THE COMMISSION HAD BEEN SETTLED.
THE CHINESE SIDE HOPED THAT WE WOULD NOT INSIST ON A UNILATERAL
ANNOUNCEMENT OF OUR OWN TEAM.
9. BLUNT REFERRED TO WHAT I HAD TOLD ZHOU NAN YESTERDAY (MY 3RD TUR) AND REPEATED THE NEED TO ANNOUNCE THE COMPOSITION OF THE LAND COMMISSION AT THE SAME TIME AS THE COMPOSITION OF THE JLG. HE SAID THAT THE BRITISH SIDE WERE KEEN TO GET ON WITH ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE LAND COMMISSION.
WE WERE, AS WE HAD REPEATEDLY MADE CLEAR, COMMITTED TO THE TERMS OF ANNEX 111, ONE OF WHICH WAS THAT THE LAND COMMISSION SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED IMMEDIATELY UPON ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE
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