20
GR 490
SECRET
FM PEKING 07083OZ MAR 24
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
SECRET
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FKK 02712
RECEIVED IN
STK:
- 8 MAR 1934
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TELEGRAM NUMBER 383 OF 7 MARCH
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
MY TEL NO 156: YOUR PROJECTED VISIT TO PEKING
1. ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT IT IS MUCH MORE LIKELY THAN NOT THAT
YOU WILL WISH TO VISIT PEKING IN APRIL, I HAVE BEEN REFLECTING ABOUT
THE PLANNING AND PRESENTATION OF A VISIT.
2. I BELIEVE, THAT IT WOULD BE SENSIBLE TO APPROACH THE CHINESE
ABOUT A VISIT SOJNER RATHER THAN LATER. THE CHINESE ATTITUDE
TO A VISIT BY YOU IN PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES WILL BE DETERMINED
PRIMARILY BY WHETHER OR NOT THEY SEEE ADVANTAGE IN THE CONTEXT
OF THE TALKS ABOUT HONG KONG. TO PROPOSE IT EARLY WOULD GIVE
THEM LESS CHANCE TO PREVARICATE ABOUT THE TIMING, IF IN THE EVENT
THEY WERE TO DECIDE THAT IT WAS BETTER TO AVOID RECEIVING YOU
FOR THE MOMENT. IT WOULD ALSO BE GENUINELY HELPFUL TO THEM,
GIVEN THAT WU XUEQIAN WILL BE IN EUROPE DURING THE EARLY PART
OF APRIL AND THAT PRESIDENT REAGAN IS DUE TO ARRIVE IN PEKING
ON ABOUT 25 APRIL.
3. THE LINE I SUGGEST WE SHOULD TAKE IS THAT SINCE YOU ARE
MAKING A VISIT TO THE FAR EAST ANYWAY, YOU JUDGED THAT IN PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO
HEVIEW PROGRESS IN THE TALKS WITH CHINESE LEADERS, AND TO DISCUSS
THE WAY AHEAD.
4
4. ON THE TIMING, I NOTE FROM YOUR TEL NO 388 TO HONG KONG THAT
YOU ARE THINKING OF A VISIT OVER THE EASTER WEEKEND. I THINK
YOU SHOULD ALLOW AT LEAST TWO FULL WORKING DAYS. IF YOUR OTHER
COMMITMENTS WOULD PERMIT THIS, A POSSIBLE SCENARIO WOULD BE:-
13 APRIL DEPART LONDON
19 APRIL
20 APRIL
(EVENING) ARRIVE PEKING
PM FREE
WORKING PROGRAMME
21 APRIL WORKING PROGRAMME
22 APRIL
23 APRIL
FREE
AM WORKING PROGRAMME
PM DEPART FOR SEOUL.
5. WU XUEQIAN WOULD BE YOUR HOST IN PEKING. BUT OUR IMPRESSION
IS THAT HE DOES NOT HAVE A PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT VOICE IN
POLICY-MAKING OVER HONG KONG. PREMIER ZHAO ZIYANG IS MORE
IMPORTANT IN THIS CONNECTION SEMICOLON AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD
PRESS FROM THE OUTSET FOR A MEETING WITH HIM. I BELIEVE, TOO,
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