TNAG-1338-FCO40-1770-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1984 — Page 234

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY FCO 0810OOZ

CONFIDENTIAL

FROM PEKING 080822Z NOV 24

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

HKK 040/57

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY 0 7 NOV 1984

INDE

PA

...un

TELNO 2723 OF 3/11/94

31

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

YOUR TELMO 1385: FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO

PEKING AND HONG KONG.

1. WHEN I INFORM ZHOU MAN OF THE DECISION OF THE PRIME MINISTER, HE WILL ALSMOST CERTAINLY ASK WHETHER, IF SHE LEAVES FOR HONG KONG ON THE MORNING OF 21 DECEMBER, SHE COULD ARRIVE IN TIME FOR A . BANQUET ON 19 DECEMBER (LEAVING THE EVENING OF 20 DECEMBER FOR THE NORMAL RETURN BANQUET). HE WILL ALSO ALMOST CERTAINLY ASK AT WHAT TIME SHE INTENDS TO LEAVE ON 21 DECEMBER. DENG USUALLY ONLY MEETS VISITORS IN THE MORNINGS AND ZHOU WILL WANT TO KNOW WHETHER THERE WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A MEETING WITH DENG THAT DAY, RATHER THAN ON 20 DECEMBER WHEN IT MIGHT, SOMEWHAT UNUSUALLY, HAVE TO PRECEDE THE TALKS WITH ZHAO. GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD LET ME KNOW DESKBY 090001Z WHETHER THE PRIME MINISTER COULD ARRIVE IN THE LATE AFTERNOON OF 19TH DECEMBER AND FOR CONFIRMATION THAT SHE MUST LEAVE TOO EARLY FOR A MEETING WITH DENG ON 21 DECEMBER.

PROGRAMME

2. IF THE PRIME MINISTER IS UNABLE TO ARRIVE IN TIME FOR A BANQUET ON 19 DECEMBER, I AGREE GENERALLY WITH THE PROGRAMME IN PARAGRAPH 2 OF TUR, OTHER THAN YOUR SUGGESTION OF A CALL ON HU YAOBANG (HE WAS NEVER INVOLVED IN THE NEGOTIATIONS AND THE HONG KONG ISSUE IS PECULIARLY DENG'S. TIME FOR A CALL ON HU WOULD ALSO BE A PROBLEM.) AS INDICATED ABOVE THE CALL ON DENG, MIGHT HAVE TO PRECEDE TALKS WITH ZHAO. WHILE I WOULD HAVE LIKED THE PRIME MINISTER TO MEET THE RESIDENT BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND EMBASSY STAFF, I SEE NO POSSIBILITY OF THIS IN THE COURSE OF A ONE-DAY VISIT. NOR DO I SEE ANY PARTICULAR NEED FOR A PRESS CONFERENCE IN PEKING IN ASSITION TO ONE IN HONG KONG, GIVEN THAT THE PRIME MINISTER WILL BE MAKING ONE (OR MORE) MAJOR SPEECH DURING HER TIME HERE.

SPEECHES

3. ON SPEECHES, I FEAR THAT THE CHINESE WILL EXPECT ONE AT THE SIGNING CEREMONY. EVEN AT THE INITIALLING THEY WANTED THEM. IF THIS IS THE CASE THE SPEECH AFTER SIGNATURE SHOULD OBVIOUSLY CONCENTRATE ON HONG KONG. THE SPEECH AT THE BANQUET (IF THERE IS ONLY ONE) COULD DEAL WITH THE FOLLOWING OTHER IMPORTANT THEMES, THE FIRST OF WHICH MIGHT IN ANY CASE BETTER BE SEPARATED FROM HONG KONG MATTERS:

CONFIDENTIAL

/(A)

OUR.

i

'32