TNAG-1338-FCO40-1770-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1984 — Page 181

COULD AGREE THAT THEY SHOULD BE MADE. HE PERSONALLY THOUGHT THAT IT

WOULD BE UNBALANCED IF NOTHING WAS SAID AT THE SIGNATURE CEREMONY,

GIVEN THAT SHORT STATEMENTS HAD BEEN MADE AFTER THE INITIALLING.

I SAID THAT, SPEAKING PERSONALLY, I AGREED WITH HIM. THE SIGNATURE

CEREMONY WOULD BE A MAJOR MEDIA EVENT.

6. ZHOU SAID THAT IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT FOR A SPECIFIC PROGRAMME

TO BE WORKED OUT SOON BETWEEN PROTOCOL OFFICERS OF THE TWO SIDES. THE SCHEDULE FOR THE VISIT WOULD BE VERY TIGHT. SINCE MRS THATCHER WAS A HEAD OF GOVERNMENT, THERE SHOULD BE A WELCOMING

CEREMONY AND A REVIEW OF AN HONOUR GUARD IN TIANANMEN SQUARE. THERE

WOULD THEN BE THE SIGNATURE CEREMONY. AS FOR THE TWO SESSIONS OF

TALKS WHICH I HAD PEQUESTED (ONE WITH PREMIER ZHAO AND WITH CHAIRMAN DENG), ONE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE PLACE IN THE MORNING AND

THE OTHER IN THE AFTERNOON. I WOULD REMEMBER THAT DENG NORMALLY

MET FOREIGN VISITORS IN THE MORNING. SINCE THE PRIME MINISTER AND

ZHAO WOULD PERSONALLY SIGN THE JOINT DECLARATION, IT MIGHT ALSO

BE NECESSARY FOR **SOMEONE MORE SENIOR TO ATTEND ON THE CHINESE

SIDE, IN OTHER WORDS PRESIDENT LI XIANNIAN. IF LI WERE TO ATTEND, HE WOULD NO DOUBT ALSO WISH TO HAVE A SHORT TALK WITHE THE

PRIME MINISTER OR EVEN HOST A MEAL FOR HER. I AGREED WITH ZHOU THAT

THE SCHEDULE FOR THE VISIT WOULD BE TIGHT. I WOULD REPORT ZHOU'S

REMARKS. I HAD NOTED WHAT HE HAD SAID ABOUT THE PRESIDENT.

7. FOR COMMENT SEE MIFT.

EVANS

FUTURE OF HONG KONG

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