5. I BELIEVE THAT I WOULD STAND A FAIR CHANCE OF BEING ABLE TO DELIVER A MESSAGE PERSONALLY TO WU IF IT WERE TO BE READY BEFORE THE END OF NEXT WEEK. AS TO THE CONTENT OF SUCH A MESSAGE, I DO NOT THINK ON REFLECTION THAT IT SHOULD BEAT ABOUT THE BUSH.
A
I BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE WISHED TO TALK TO WU ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS IN, AND IN RELATION TO, HONG KONG. IT COULD SAY THAT HE WOULD WELCOME A CHANCE TO TAKE STOCK OF DEVELOPMENTS, AND TO DISCUSS THE FUTURE, IN ADVANCE OF HU YAOBANG'S VISIT TO LONDON AT THE BEGINNING OF JUNE.
6. AS TO CONTINUATION OF THE DIALOGUE, I THINK THAT THIS SHOULD
TAKE PLACE AT THREE LEVELS :-
(A) BETWEEN THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND WU,
(B) BETWEEN MYSELF
A
AND ZHOU NAN,
(C) BETWEEN LU PING AND VISITORS FROM LONDON AND/OR HONG KONG.
7. AS REGARDS (A), I ASSUME THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE COULD ARRANGE TO MEET WU IN SEPTEMBER AT THE TIME OF THE OPENING OF THE NEXT GENERAL ASSEMBLY. HE WILL IN ANY CASE HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK TO WU DURING THE STATE VISIT IN OCTOBER. IT IS PERHAPS NOT NECESSARY TO LOOK BEYOND 1986 FOR THE MOMENT. BUT A POINT WHICH WE NEED TO BEAR IN MIND IS THAT WU MAY NOT REMAIN MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS FOR A GREAT DEAL LONGER. THERE ARE REUMOURS HERE THAT HU QILI COULD SUCCEED HU YAOBANG AS GENERAL SECRETARY AT THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE PLENUM THIS AUTUMN AND THAT ZHAO ZIYANG COULD SUCCEED LI XIANNIAN AS PRESIDENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPLUBLIC SOON THEREAFTER. IF THERE CHANGES WERE TO TAKE PLACE, IT IS ON THE CARDS THAT WU COULD SUCCEED JI PENGFEI AS THE HEAD OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAO OFFICE OF THE STATE COUNCIL AND AS THE STATE COUNCILLOR WITH GENERAL OVERSIGHT OVER FOREIGN AFFAIRS. IT IS, I THINK, PRETTY CLEAR THAT QIAN QICHEN IS BEING GROOMED TO SUCCEED WU AS FOREIGN MINISTER WHEN THE DAY COMES. HE NOW SPEAKS IN PUBLIC ON ALL SORTS OF SUBJECTS WHICH ARE NOT WITHIN HIS SPHERE OF RESPONSIBILITY AS A VICE MINISTER.
8. AS REGARDS (B), ZHOU IS NOT, OF COURSE, AN IDEAL INTERLOCUTOR, BUT I THINK THAT IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO THROW A SOP TO CERBERUS. I CAN THINK OF NO WAY OF EXCLUDING ZHOU NAN FROM PARTICIPATION IN A DIALOGUE. BESIDES BEING THE VICE-MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR HONG KONG IN THE MFA, HE IS A MEMBER (AND I AM TOLD A VOCAL AND ARTICULATE ONE) OF THE BASIC LAW DRAFTING COMMITTEE. IN ANY CASE, IT WOULD BE DAMAGING FOR US ALL TO DO ANYTHING WHICH PUT US ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HIM.
9. AS REGARDS (C), I AM MODESTLY HOPEFUL THAT INFORMAL MEETINGS COULD BE ARRANGED FROM TIME TO TIME BETWEEN LU PING AND VISITORS FROM LONDON AND/OR HONG KONG. ONE SUCH COULD TAKE PLACE IN THE MARGINS OF THE MEETING OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP IN PEKING NEXT NOVEMBER. IN THE PAST, LU PING HAS SHOWN HIMSELF WILLING TO HAVE MEALS WITH THOMSON AND ME WITHOUT ZHOU NAN BEING PRESENT.
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