TNAG-1338-FCO40-1770-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1984 — Page 227

32.

DD 090100Z PEKING

GRS 343

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY 090100Z PEKING

DESKBY 090100Z HONG KONG

CONFIDENTIAL

ник

HKK 040/57 040 57

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

0 9 NOV 1984

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

FM FCO 091545Z NOVEMBER 84

PA

36

15829 1

REGISTRY

Action Taken

a ya

-

TO IMMEDIATE PEKENG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1387 OF 8 NOVEMBER

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG DESKBY 090100Z

YOUR TELNO 2723: FUTURE OF HONG KONG:

PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO PEKING AND HONG KONG

TIMING

1.

UNFORTUNATELY, SINCE THE PRIME MINISTER CANNOT LEAVE UNTIL AFTER PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTIONS IN THE HOUSE ON 18 DECEMBER, IT

IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HER TO ARRIVE IN PEKING UNTIL ABOUT 2030 LOCAL

ON THE EVENING OF 19 DECEMBER. THIS MAKES A BANQUET THAT EVENING

IMPOSSIBLE. WE DO NOT HOWEVER THINK THAT IT WOULD BE SERIOUS IF

ON SUCH A SHORT VISIT THERE WERE NO RETURN BANQUET.

2.

IT WOULD ALSO BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR THE PRIME MINISTER

TO POSTPONE HER DEPARTURE ON 21 DECEMBER, SINCE THIS WOULD LEAVE

INSUFFICIENT TIME FOR A PROGRAMME THAT DAY IN HONG KONG. A

FURTHER ENGAGEMENT WILL OBLIGE HER TO LEAVE HONG KONG EARLY ON

THE MORNING OF 22 DECEMBER. YOU SHOULD THEREFORE TELL ZHOU NAN

THAT REGRETTABLY DEPARTURE WILL HAVE TO BE VERY EARLY ON 21

DECEMBER, PROBABLY 0900 LOCAL, BECAUSE OF THE TIGHTNESS

OF THE PROGRAMME AND OTHER COMMITMENTS. WE HOPE THAT IT MIGHT BE

POSSIBLE FOR DENG TO VARY HIS NORMAL PRACTICE AND TO RECEIVE HER ON

THE AFTERNOON OF 20 DECEMBER. ALTERNATIVELY IF THE CALL WAS TO

TAKE PLACE ON THE MORNING OF 20 DECEMBER, ALTHOUGH THIS WOULD BE

UNUSUAL, WE DO NOT THINK THAT IT WOULD BE INTOLERABLE. WE HOPE

THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CONVEY TO THE CHINESE THAT THE

PRIME MINISTER IS MAKING A VERY SPECIAL EFFORT AT A DIFFICULT

TIME OF THE YEAR TO BE PRESENT FOR THIS IMPORTANT OCCASION, AND

WE HOPE THAT THE CHINESE CAN RESPOND WITH SOME FLEXIBILITY ON

THEIR SIDE.

PROGRAMME

1

CONFIDENTIAL