TNAG-1158-FCO40-1438-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Hong-Kong--1982 — Page 92

GR 609

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING 297315Z MAY 82

TO PRIORITY F C O

TELNO 287 OF 26 MAY

INFO SAVING TOKYO AND HONG KONG.

CONFIDENTIAL

Ble

42

HIK

02615

CGE

YOUR TELNO 165 TO TOKYO: PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT 25/5 163 25/5

1. HEAD OF CHANCERY HAD AN INFORMAL PLANNING MEETING ON 19 MAY

WITH TANG LONGBIN OF THE MFA'S PROTOCOL DEPARTMENT. TANG

CONFIRMED THAT THE DATES 22-26 SEPTEMBER FOR THE VISIT TO CHINA

WERE CONVENIENT. ATKINSON HANDED OVER AN OUTLINE DRAFT PROGRAMME (COPY BY BAG) AS THE BASIS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.

See 3

2. WHEN TOLD THAT MRS THATCHER WOULD BE FLYING FROM TOKYO TO

PEKING, TANG SAID THAT ARRIVAL HERE BY ABOUT NOON WOULD SUIT THE

CHINESE HOSTS BEST, SINCE MRS THATCHER COULD HAVE LUNCH, AND GO THROUGH THE OFFICIAL WELCOMING CEREMONIES, (INCLUDING A COURTESY CALL ON PREMIER ZHAO ZIYANG) BY 4 PM, FOR A FIRST SESSION OF TALKS BETWEEN PRIME MINISTERS. THESE WOULD CONTINUE UNTIL ABOUT 6 PM, WITH A WELCOMING BANQUET ABOUT 7.30 PM.

3. I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL TO KNOW IN DUE COURSE WHETHER MRS THATCHER

WOULD BE PREPARED TO LEAVE TOKYO BY ABOUT 7.30 AM (LOCAL TIME) ON

22 SEPTEMBER, IN ORDER TO MEET THIS INFORMAL CHINESE SUGGESTION. IN MY VIEW, THERE WOULD BE SOME ADVANTAGE IN HAVING A FIRST SESSION OF TALKS WITH ZHAO ZIYANG (ON GENERAL WORLD AFFAIRS) ON THE FIRST

AFTERNOON, SO THAT AT A SECOND SESSION ON 23 SEPTEMBER, BILATERAL MATTERS, INCLUDING HONG KONG, COULD BE TACKLED. BUT IF MRS THATCHER WOULD PREFER TO LEAVE TOKYO LATER, THE TWO SESSIONS WITH ZHAO COULD

DOUBTLESS BE MOVED BACK.

4. APART FROM A SECOND CALL ON ZHAO ZIYANG THE DRAFT PROGRAMME FOR

23 SEPTEMBER ENVISAGES A CALL ON HU YAOBANG, A RECEPTION AT THE EMBASSY RESIDENCE AND, POSSIBLY, LUNCH WITH THE BRITISH BUSINESS COMMUNITY SEMICOLON SOME SIGHTSEEING SEMICOLON AND A CULTURAL PERFORMANCE' IN THE EVENING.

5. WE HAVE SUGGESTED THE PROGRAMME FOR 24 SEPTEMBER SHOULD INCLUDE

A VISIT TO THE NEARBY COUNTRYSIDE, LUNCH POSSIBLY AT A COMMUNE SEMI-

COLON A CALL ON DENG XIAOPING SEMICOLON A PRESS CONFERENCE AND THE

RETURN BANQUET.

6. ON 25 SEPTEMBER THE PRIME MINISTER WOULD FLY TO SHANGHAI

(PROBABLY LEAVING PEKING AT 9 AM), PAYING A CALL ON THE MAYOR, LAUNCHING SIR Y K PAO'S SHIP, AND MAKING OTHER VISITS OF INDUSTRIAL AND CULTURAL INTEREST. A BRIEF MEETING WITH BRITISH BUSINESSMEN IN

SHANGHAI WOULD BE ARRANGED.

CONFIDENTIAL

/ 7. TANG