TNAG-1297-FCO40-1652-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1984 — Page 19

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DD 29090OZ PEKING

GRS 308

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DESKBY 290900Z

FM FCO 281600Z MAR 84

TO IMMEDIATE PEKING

TELEGRAM NUMBER 285 OF 28 MARCH

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

13

HKK 027/2

No

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VED IN RESIST...

29 MAR 1934

Ry

(133) YOUR TELNO 587 AND OUR TELNO 276: FUTURE OF HONG KONG: SECRETARY

OF STATE'S VISIT

1. WE ARE ANXIOUS THAT THE CHINESE SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT ALTHOUGH

PUBLICLY WE SHALL PRESENT THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT AS A

NORMAL ONE IT WILL IN FACT BE A WORKING VISIT DESIGNED TO MAKE

MAXIMUM PROGRESS ON HONG KONG. WE HOPE THE PROGRAMME WILL REFLECT

THIS.

2.

YOU SHOULD THEREFORE SAY TO ZHOU NAN THAT WE SUGGEST THAT THE

MEETING WITH WU ON THE MORNING OF 16 APRIL COULD BE DIVIDED INTO

TWO SESSIONS. THE FIRST SESSION, TAKING ABOUT AN HOUR, COULD

DEAL WITH THE BILATERAL AND ONE OR TWO OF THE INTERNATIONAL

ISSUES OUTLINED IN OUR TELNO 276. THE SECRETARY OF STATE WOULD

BE HAPPY TO SPEAK BRIEFLY ABOUT THE COMMUNITY IN THIS SESSION.

THE SECOND SESSION WITH WU IN THE MORNING SHOULD START WORK ON

HONG KONG.

3. YOU CAN CONFIRM THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE WOULD LIKE TO

SEE JI PENGFEI, ZHAO ZIYANG AND DENG XIAOPING PUBLICLY IN THAT

ORDER AND IS PREPARED TO DELAY HIS DEPARTURE FOR HONG KONG UNTIL

MIDDAY ON 18 APRIL IF THIS WILL ENABLE HIM TO COMPLETE HIS

DISCUSSIONS WITH THEM ALL. PERHAPS IT WOULD HELP IF THE

SECRETARY OF STATE SAW JI PENGFEI ON THE AFTERNOON OF 16 APRIL,

SO THAT 17 APRIL WAS FREE FOR DENG AND ZHAO.

4. IF A CALLON JI PENGFEI CANNOT BE ARRANGED FOR THE AFTERNOON

OF 16 APRIL THE SECRETARY OF STATE WOULD SEE VALUE IN A SECOND

WORKING SESSION ON HONGKONG WITH WU OR FAILING HIM, ZHOU NAN

AT THAT TIME. HE SUGGESTS SIR P CRADOCK COULD HAVE A WORKING

SESSION WITH ZHOU NAN ON 16 APRIL IF THERE IS NO PLENARY AT THE

TIME, OR A ROUND UP SESSION WITH HIM TOWARDS THE END OF THE VISIT

REGBITY

Action TaxKAS?

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