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TELELETTER FCO
TELELETTER N FR
SK
OF 050822Z APRIL 93
INFO TELELETTER HONG KONG
FROM
SIR ROBIN MCLAREN, PEKING
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15
134147 MDTTAN 9872
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TELELETTER
N FR OF 5 APRIL 1993
FOLLOWING FOR H LL DAVIES, FED, FCO
COPIED TO
PF RICKETTS, HKD, FCO
clad
74
W G EHRMAN, POLITICAL ADVISERS OFFICE, HONG KONG
AMBASSADORS' MEETING WITH NEW CHINESE LEADERS.
1.
AMBASSADORS AND OTHER HEADS OF MISSION IN PEKING WERE INVITED TO THE GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE ON THE AFTERNOON OF SATURDAY 3 APRIL TO MEET JIANG ZEMIN (IN HIS CAPACITY AS STATE PRESIDENT) RONG YIREN (AS VICE PRESIDENT), LI PENG AND QIAN QICHEN. YOU MAY LIKE A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF WHAT TRANSPIRED.
2.
WE WERE TOLD THAT THE MEETING WOULD START AT 1600 AND WERE ASKED TO ARRIVE NOT LATER THAN 1545. WE WERE USHERED INTO AN ANTE ROOM WHERE SOFT DRINKS AND CANAPES WERE CIRCULATING. SHORTLY BEFORE 1600 THE DIRECTOR OF THE PROTOCOL DEPARTMENT AT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY ANNOUNCED THAT THE LEADERS WOULD RECEIVE US IN AN ADJOINING ROOM (THE XINJIANG HALL). WE WOULD ENTER IN BATCHES OF TEN AND WOULD KNOW HOW TO ORGANISE OURSELVES FOR THAT PURPOSE. IT TRANSPIRED THAT THE CHINESE HAD IN MIND THAT WE SHOULD LINE UP IN PROTOCOL ORDER, AND PROTOCOL DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS STARTED ORGANISING THE FIRST GROUPS AS THE REST REMAINED CHATTING.
3.
AFTER A WHILE, LONG-SERVING AMBASSADORS RETURNED FROM THEIR ENCOUNTERS TO REPORT THAT THE FOUR LEADERS WERE STATIONED A FEW YARDS APART AT THE END OF THE XINJIANG HALL, FLANKED BY INTERPRETERS. AMBASSADORS WERE FIRST INTRODUCED TO JIANG ZEMIN, HAD A BRIEF CONVERSATION WITH HIM, AND THEN MOVED ON DOWN THE LINE. IT SOON BECAME APPARENT THAT THE PROCESS WAS TAKING LONGER THAN
INTENDED (LI PENG WAS DUE TO RECEIVE NEW AND DEPARTING AMBASSADORS
IN A FURTHER MEETING AT 1710). THE WORD WAS PASSED THAT WE SHOULD
AIM TO PASS SWIFTLY FROM ONE LEADER TO ANOTHER AND NOT DALLY.
4.
MY TURN CAME ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH, BY WHICH TIME IT WAS
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