TNAG-1160-FCO40-1440-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Hong-Kong--1982 — Page 41

GR 600

SECRET

FM PEKING 020823Z SEP 82

TO PRIORITY FCO

SECRET

TELEGRAM NUMBER 486 OF 2 SEPTEMBER

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG (PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR)

FOR DONALD (AUS)

MY TELNO 476

202

PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT

HIK 026/5

SPA

1. UNFORTUNATELY, VICE FOREIGN MINISTER ZHANG WENJIN IS A DELEGATE TO THE PARTY CONGRESS AND UNDER THE STRICT RULES WHICH APPLY IN THIS CASE, PREVENTED FROM CONDUCTING ANY OTHER BUSINESS WHILE THE CONGRESS LASTS, IE UNTIL ABOUT 11 SEPTEMBER. OTHER CHINESE LEADERS ARE SIMILARLY INCOMMUNICADO, AND IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES I JUDGED IT BEST TO SEE VICE FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN QISHEN, WHO IS HOLDING THE FORT AT THE MINISTRY DURING THE CONGRESS. I WILL, OF COURSE, SEE ZHANG WENJIN AS SOON AS HE REEMERGES.

2. I TOLD QIAN THAT THE PRIME MINISTER, WHO WAS MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO HER VISIT AND REGARDED IT AS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE, EXPECTED TO DISCUSS WITH THE CHINESE LEADERS MANY SUBJECTS OF BOTH INTERNATIONAL AND BILATERAL CONCERN, BUT MUCH THE MOST IMPORTANT BILATERAL MATTER WAS HONG KONG. EXPECTATIONS ON THIS SUBJECT WERE NOW VERY HIGH AND WHETHER WE LIKED IT OR NOT THE SUCCESS OF THE VISIT WOULD BE JUDGED LARGELY ON WHETHER WE WERE ABLE TO SHOW SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS ON THE QUESTION OF THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG. BOTH SIDES HAD AN INTEREST IN SEEING THAT THE VISIT WAS A SUCCESS. I HAD BEEN ASKED TO SAY THAT OUR MINIMUM OBJECTIVE AS REGARDS HONG KONG WAS THAT BOTH SIDES SHOULD AGREE TO HOLD SERIOUS TALKS AT OFFICIAL LEVEL ABOUT THE FUTURE, SUCH TALKS TO BEGIN SOON AFTER HER VISIT, AND THAT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE PUBLICLY AT THE END OF HER VISIT THE INTENTION TO HOLD TALKS. WE HOPED THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT COULD AGREE IN ADVANCE THAT THIS WOULD BE THE OUTCOME. THIS WOULD NOT, OF COURSE, PRECLUDE OUR ACHIEVING MORE DURING THE VISIT, BUT IT WAS IN OUR VIEW THE MINIMUM REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN INVESTOR CONFIDENCE AND PROSPERITY IN THE SHORT-TERM,

3. QIAN SA

J THAT THE CHINESE SIDE TOO WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE VISIT AND WERE MAKING CAREFUL PREPARATIONS FOR IT. THEIR LEADERS HOPED TO DISCUSS A RANGE OF ISSUES WITH THE PRIME MINISTER, INCLUDING HONG KONG. HONG KONG WAS A MATTER OF GREAT CONCERN TO BOTH

SIDES AND A SERIOUS ISSUE. HE WOULD REPORT MY SUGGESTION BUT HE COULD

SAY AT ONCE THAT THE CHINESE SIDE AS WELL AS OURS HOPED TO SEE A

SUCCESSFUL VISIT.

SECRET

A8319

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