CONFIDENTIA!
GRS 394
CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 992
OF 010825Z JUNE 87
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, BRUSSELS
111/1
TOP COPY C DIST ?
39
MY TELNO 982, YOUR TELNO 518, BRUSSELS TELNO 173 AND MIFT:
HONG KONG AND THE CCC
1. PIGOTT CALLED ON LIN ZHIYING ON 1 JUNE AND TOOK ACTION AS
INSTRUCTED. HE WENT THROUGH OUR PROPOSED AMENDMENTSWIHIN LIN
POINT BY POINT AND HANDED TO HIM A REVISED TEXT OF PARAS 3 AND
4 WHICH WE HAD PREPARED, INCORPORATING ALL THESE AMENDMENTS
(FOR CLARITY, THE TEXT OF THESE PARAS IS IN MIFT). PIGOTT PUT
FORWARD THE FORMULA IN PARA 1 OF YOUR TELNO 501, AS AMENDED BY PARA
1 OF HONG KONG TELNO 2046, FOR THE PHRASE IN OUR SPEAKING NOTE
CLARIFYING ''SAR''. HE ALSO PUT FORWARD OUR PROPOSAL ON
CO-ORDINATION AND TIMING OF THE CALLS ON THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF
THE CCC.
2. IN RESPONSE, LIN EXPRESSED THANKS AND APPRECIATION FOR OUR
AGREEMENT TO REDRAFT THE PHRASE CLARIFYING ''SAR''. THE CHINESE
SIDE ACCEPTED OUR REDRAFT.
3. ON THE REDRAFT OF PARA 3 AND 4, LIN SAID THAT THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD STUDY OUR PROPOSALS, CHECKING THEM AGAINST THE ORIGINAL CHIESE TEXT AND THE TRANSLATION. SPEAKING PERSONALLY, HE DID NOT THINK THERE WOULD BE ANY DIFFICULTY WITH OUR PROPOSALS.
4. ON TIMING OF ACTION BY THE TWO EMBASSIES, LIN SAID THAT THE
CHINESE SIDE WOULD, IN THE WEEK BEGINNING 8 JUNE, INFORM THEIR EMBASSY IN BURSSELS OF THE EXACT DATE ON WHICH TO MAKE THEIR
APPROACH TO THE SECRETARY-GENERAL, ONCE THIS HAD BEEN DECIDED IN
PEKING. SPEAKING PERSONALLY, PIGOTT EXPLAINED THAT IT WOULD BE
ADMINISTRATIVELY LESS COMPLICATED IF BOTH SIDES WERE TO GIVE THEIR
RESPECTIVE EMBASSIES IN BRUSSELS A TIME SPAN WITHIN WHICH TO
LIAISE AND TAKE ACTION. DECIDING A SPECIFIC DATE FROM PEKING MIGHT
ONLY RESULT IN CHOOSING ONE WHICH WAS NOT CONVENIENT TO ALL THREE
PARTIES. AFTER SOME CONSULTATION, LIN AGREED THAT THE CHINESE SIDE
WOULD NOT SPECIFY A DATE TO THE1OR EMBASSY. HE POINTED OUT THAT THE
EARLIEST THE CHINESE EMBASSY IN BRUSSELS COULD TAKE ACTION WOULD BE
IN THE WEEK BEGINNING 8 JUNE, SINCE THE MFA WOULD BE UNABLE TO GET
THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS TO THEM BEFORE THEN., LIN ADDED THAT, IN ANY CASE, THE CHINESE SIDE INTENDED TO TAKE ACTION BEFORE 15 JUNE. HE CONCLUDED THAT THIS WAS HIS PERSONAL VIEW AND THAT HE WOULD COME
BACK TO US SHORTLY ONCE A FORMAL DECISION HAD BEEN TAKEN.
CONFIDENTIAL
/s.