TNAG-1297-FCO40-1652-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 124

HHCK

40/4

210)

GR 300

SECRET

SEGRE

HKCK

RECK

027/2

HY

14 MAR 1984

DESKBY FCO 10093OZ

DESKBY HONG KONG 10043OZ

FM PEKING 10033OZ MAR 84

DES

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

NDI

TELEGRAM NUMBER 403 OF 10 MARCH

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

Also

T

of fost ple

Попит

\NIPT:

MIPT: FUTURE OF HONG KONG: DINNER WITH ZHOU NAN: YOUR VISIT TO HIR

CHINA.

040/14

117

1. SPOKE AS INSTRUCTED IN PARAGRAPH 1 OF YOUR TEL NO 198.

2. ZHOU SAID THAT HE WELCOMED THIS NEWS AND HE PERSONALLY THOUGHT THAT THE IDEA WOULD BE WELCOME TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. HE WELL RECALLED THE MEETING BETWEEN YOU AND WU XUEQIAN AT THE

UN LAST YEAR, WHICH HE HAD ATTENDED. THE MAIN PROBLEM WOULD BE TIMING. HE DID NOT YET KNOW WU'S DETAILED PLANS FOR APRIL, BUT HE WOULD PASS THE PROPOSAL ON TO HIM TODAY (10 MARCH). HE SAID THAT, ALTHOUGH THE DINNER WAS AN INFORMAL OCCASION, HE WOULD TREAT WHAT I HAD SAID AS A FORMAL PROPOSAL. HE WOULD LET ME KNOW WU'S REACTION EARLY NEXT WEEK.

3. ZHOU ASKED WHETHER THE TIMING PROPOSED WAS THE ONLY POSSIBLE ONE FOR YOU. I SAID THAT, WHILE I DID NOT KNOW THE DETAILS OF

YOUR PROGRAMME FOR APRIL, I DID KNOW THAT THE WINDOW WAS SMALL AND THAT YOUR OTHER VISITS IN THE FAR EAST HAD ALREADY BEEN

FIXED, I THEREFORE HOPED THESE DATES WOULD BE POSSIBLE FOR THE CHINESE.

4. I TOLD ZHOU THAT AS WELL AS WU XUEQIAN YOU WOULD HOPE TO SEE JI PENGFEI, ZHAO ZIYANG AND, IF POSSIBLE, DENG XIAOPING. ZHOU

SAID THAT HE WOULD TRY TO FIND OUT WHETHER THESE PERSONS WOULD BE

AVAILABLE AT THE TIME.

COMMENT

5. IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, IT WILL PROBABLY NOT BE NECESSARY FOR ME

TO MAKE A FORMAL PROPOSAL TO THE MINISTRY NEXT WEEK.

EVANS

FUTURE OF HONG KONG

D/ED/PUSD

PLANNING STAFF.

ED/PUSD

PES.B. (MR WALKER)

LEGAL ADVISER (SIR IAN SINCLAIR

PS

PS/LADY YOUNG

PS/ME LUCK

PS/FUS

SER J BULLARD

SIR W HARDING

YR WILSON

THIR WRIGHT

SIR C TICKELL

COPIES TO:

BUCKINGHAM PALACE

PS/LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL PS/HOME SECRETARY

PS/CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

PS/LORD PRIVY SEAL

PS/SECRETARY FOR TRADE & INDUSTRY

COPIES TO: (VIA ADR)

MR ROBERTS

HR BURROWS

FEWS D

LEGAL ADVS

MR COLES NO 10 DOWNING ST

MR MARTIN ASSESSMENT STAFF CABINET OFFICE

MR GOODATI CABINET OFFICE

MR. BRENNAN CABINET OFFICE

PS/S OF S FOR DEFENCE D PS/ATTORNEY GENERAL

STR P CRADOCK BY K195

SIR P CRADOCK NO 10 DOWNING STREET SECRET

65