TNAG-1338-FCO40-1770-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1984 — Page 195

5. CONFIRMED THAT YOU WOULD BE ACCOMPANYING THE PRIME MINISTER.

* ALSO TOLD ZHOU THAT WE DID NOT ENVISAGE THE PRIME MINISTER

HOLDING A PRESS CONFERENCE IN PEKING.

6. ON SUBJECTS FOR DISCUSSION HN THE TALKS WITH ZHAO, M. GAVE

IT AS MY PERSONAL VIEW THAT THESE WOULD FALL UNDER THREE HEADINGS:

HONG KONG SEMI-COLON INTERNATIONAL SUBJECTS OF COMMON CONCERN SEMI-

COLON AND BILATERAL MATTERS. ZHOU ASKED WHETHER HAD SPECIFIC

PROPOSALS TO MAKE UNDER THESE THREE HEADS. # SAID THAT HAD NO

SPECIFIC PROPOSALS TO MAKE AT PRESENT, BUT WOULD HNFORM HIM WHEN I

DID. ZHOU THEN SPOKE AT LENGTH ON THE GUANGDONG NUCLEAR PROJECT.

(SEE MIFT).

ZHOU SAID THAT PRESIDENT LI XIANNIAN MIGHT WISH TO MEET THE

PRIME MINISTER HF HE WAS IN PEKING AT THE TIME OF THE VISIT. THIS

WOULD BE APPROPRIATE, GIVEN THAT THE PRIME MINISTER WAS COMING OFFICIALLY TO SIGN THE AGREEMENT. THAT WOULD MAKE FOR A BUSY

PROGRAMME IN A SINGLE DAY, BUT WHEN TIMING WAS AGREED THE DETAILED

ARRANGEMENTS COULD BE DISCUSSED WITH THE PROTOCOL DEPARTMENT.

8.

ZHOU SAID THAT THE CHINESE SIDE CONSIDERED THAT SIGNATURE WOULD

BE A MAJOUR EVENT. THEY WOULD PREFER A GRAND CEREMONY''. THEY

KNEW THAT SOME IMPORTANT HONG KONG FIGURES WERE INTERESTED IN.

ATTENDING. THEY WERE CONSIDERING INVITING THEM TO BE PRESENT AS

OBSERVERS. WOULD WE THINK THIS APPROPRIATE? | SAND THAT HAD

NOTED WHAT ZHOU HAD SAID AND WOULD REPORT IT. WHEN M. HAD VIEWS

I WOULD COME BACK TO HIM. ZHOU SAID THAT AMONG THOSE CHINESE

WERE CONSIDERING INVITING WERE SOME HONG KONG FIGURES WHO HAD ATTENDED THE NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATIONS. ASKED WHETHER HE MEANT BY THIS MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS. HE

SAID THAT HE WAS ALSO THINKING OF FIGURES FROM HINDUSTRIAL AND

COMMERCIAL CIRCLES. NONE OF THESE PEOPLE SHOULD OF COURSE STAND

IN THE DELEGATIONS BEHIND THE TABLE SINCE SIGNATURE OF THE

AGREEMENT WAS A MATTER BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN. THEY COULD HOWEVER

OBSERVE FROM THE SIDE. # NOTED THIS VIEW.

9. I SAID THAT WE HAD BEEN FOLLOWING THE DEBATE ON THE AGREEMENT IN THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE NPC WITH INTEREST. WE HAD STUDIED

AND REPORTED WU XUEQHAN'S SPEECH. PENG ZHEN HAD YESTERDAY PROPOSED

THAT THE STANDING COMMITTE SHOULD ''AGREE'' (TON Y CCC NUMBERS

0681 1042) THE AGREEMENT. DID THIS MEAN THAT THE DEBATE WAS NOW OVER? ZHOU SAID IT WAS NOT YET FORMALLY OVER. PENG ZHEN HAD INDEED

SUMMED UP AND HAD PROPOSED THAT A RESOLUTION SHOULD BE PASSED,

BUT THIS HAD NOT YET BEEN DONE. IT WOULD PROBABLY BE PASSED ON 14

NOVEMBER, THE FINAL DAY OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE'S PRESENT

MEETING. HE ADDED THAT NO SPEAKERS HAD OPPOSED THE AGREEMENT,

ALTHOUGH A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS HAD BEEN ASKED.

CONFIDENTIAL

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