TNAG-1338-FCO40-1770-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1984 — Page 122

GRS 230

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FROM PEKING 20042OZ NOV 84

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 2791 OF 20/11/84

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG

FOR FED

HKK

040/57.

RECEIVEL REGISTE

2 C NOV 1984

97

DESZ

INDEX

PA

We

YOUR TEL NO 1417:

PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT: GIFTS

1 IF PRESIDENT LI DOES GIVE A LUNCH OUR FEELING IS THAT A GIFT OF SOME SORT FOR HIM WOULD BE APPROPRIATE, AS IT WOULD LOOK ODD TO MISS HIM OUT, GIVEN HIS POSITION AND THE VISIBILITY OF THE FUNCTION HE WOULD

BE HOSTING. WE AGREE THAT NO GIFT IS NECESSARY FROM THE

SECRETACY OF STATE TO WU.

2. THE AMBASSADOR (WHO IS CURRENTLY ON A PROVINCIAL TOUR) COSIDERED THAT A POSSIBLE GIFT MIGHT BE A FRAMED

AND MOUNTED COPY OF THE MESSAGE THAT SUN YATSEN SENT

TO JAMES CANTLIE FROM THE CHINESE LEGATION IN LONDON

IN 1895, AND WHICH LED TO THE SENDERS RELEASE FROM FORCIBLE

DETENTION.

3 A CLOCK SEEMS TO US ENTIRELY SUITBLE AS A GIFT AND WE REALLY CANNOT SEE THAT THE POSSIBLE CONFUSION ARISING FROM THE SOUND OF ''TO PE PRESENT A CLOCK' IN MANDARIN SHOULD BE A REASON FOR DECIDING AGAINST IT.

4. INSCRIPTIONS WHERE POSSIBLE WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA, ALTHOUGH WE DO NOT THINK IT WOULD BE WISE TO INSCRIBE A GIFT TO DENG (OR TO LI) WITH THE WORDING YOU SUGGEST,

AS IT REFERS EXPRESSLY TO ZHAO ZIYANG. WE WOULD SUGGEST SOMETHING LIKE (FOR ALL RECIPIENTS): ''PRESENTED TO

(CHAIRMAN DENG XIAOPING) (PREMIER ZHAO ZIYANG) (PRESIDENT LI XIANNIAN) BY PRMIER MINISTER MARGARET THATCHEP ON THE

OCCASION OF HER VISIT TO PEKING TO SIGN THE

JOINT DECLARATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE REOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG''.

1

PARA 3 WA TO PRESENT A CLOCK''

EVANS

LIMITED

FED

HKD

PROTOCOL D

PS

COPIES TO:-

PS/MR LUCE MR WILSON

SIR P CRADOCK

CONFIDENTIAL