TNAG-1338-FCO40-1770-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1984 — Page 199

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

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5. DO NOT THINK THAT INVITATIONS SHOULD BE ISSUED TO DENG XIAOPING AND HU YAOBANG TO VISIT THE UK. DENG IS NOW GENERALLY THOUGHT TO BE TOO OLD TO TRAVEL ABORAD AND (AS I HAVE SAID WHEN ADVISING ON WHETHER OR NOT WE SHOULD CONSIDER INVITING HIM TO HONG KONG) HE IS UNPREDICTABLE. HU YAOBANG HAS INVITATIONS OUTSTANDING TO HIM TO VISIT THE FRG AND ITALY. BUT NEITHER IS FROM THE GOVERNMENT. THE GERMAN INVITATION COMES FROM HERR BRANDT AND THE ITALIAN INVITATION FROM THE ITALIAN COMMUNIST PARTY. HU'S LACK OF GOVERNMENT STATUS APART, HE TOO IS HIGHLY UNPREDICTABLE. THERE WOULD ALSO BE TIMING PROBLEMS IN INVITING EITHER DENG OR HU. THE MAIN VISIT TO THE UK NEXT YEAR MUST BE THAT OF ZHAO. IF THE QUEEN WERE TO VISIT CHINA IN 1986, IT WOULD NOT NECESSARILY BE APPROPRIATE TO HAVE A TOP LEVEL VISIT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION IN THAT YEAR. AFTER THAT, THE LOGICAL MOVE WOULD BE A STATE VISHT BY THE CHINESE PRESIDENT (NOT NECESSARILY LI XIANNIAN FOR MUCH LONGER)..

6. SEE NO PARTICULAR NEED TO PRESS FOR THAN JIYUN TO VISIT THE UK NEXT YEAR (ALTHOUGH, IF THE CHINESE MENTION IT, THE PRIME MINISTER SHOULD OF COURSE CONFIRM THE INVITATION). MY OWN VIEW HIS THAT A VISIT BY LH PENG WOULD BE MORE VALUABLE THAN A VISIT BY THAN. BUT WE COULD HARDLY INVITE THE FORMER WITHOUT CONFIRMING THE INVITATION TO THE LATTER: AND THAT WOULD OVERLOAD THE CIRCUIT.

(144) TRADE

7. I. AGREE WITH BOYD THAT THE PRIME MINISTER SHOULD PRESS FOR GREATER EXPORT AND INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR BRITISH INDUSTRY, UNDER THE SIGNBOARD OF GREATER PARTICIPATION IN CHINA'S MODERNISATION. IT WILL BE IMPORTANT HOWEVER TO HANDLE THIS IN PUBLIC IN SUCH A WAY THAT HONG KONG OPINION DOES NOT SEE OUR MOVES TO DEVELOP TRADE AR EXPLOITATION OF THE HONG KONG AGREEMENT. WE SHOULD THEREFORE EMPHASISE:

(A) OUR DISAPPOINTMENT AT THE SMALL UK SHARE OF THE MARKET,

AND

(B) THE CHINESE DESIRE, AS PROCLAIMED BY ZHAO ZIYANG IN EUROPE LAST JUNE, TO DEVELOP CHINA'S COMMERCIAL RELATIONS WITH WESTERN EUROPE.

8. CLEARLY THE MAJOR PROJECT IS GUANGDONG NUCLEAR AND THE LATEST NEWS FROM HONG KONG (BTC TELNO INDUS 273 AND 275) SUGGESTS THAT THE IMPASSE OVER OFFTAKE MAY AT LAST BE RESOLVING ITSELF. WHAT THE PRIME MINISTER WILL BE ABLE TO SAY, HOWEVER, WILL MUCH DEPEND ON INTERVENING DEVELOPMENTS. THE GOVERNOR'S POINTS (HONG KONG TELNO 3401) ARE ALSO EXTREMELY RELEVANT.

9. OTHER PROJECTS AND MAJOR CONTRACTS WHICH MAY BY THE TIME OF THE VISIT BE EITHER READY FOR SIGNATURE OR SUPPORT AT PRIME MINISTERIAL LEVEL INCLUDE:

-2-

KED BRITI

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