TNAG-1338-FCO40-1770-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1984 — Page 276

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GRS 480

CONFIDENTIAL

AMENDED DISTRIBUTION 15 OCTOBER 1984

CONFIDENTIAL

FROM PEKING 1508472 OCT 84

TELEGRAM NUMBER 2596 OF 15 OCTOBER

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

HKK 04057 040/57

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

16 OCT 1984

DESK OFFICER

REGIS, HY

INDEX

YOUR TELNO 1322: FUTURE OF HONG KONG: SIGNATURE OF THE

AGREEMENT.

PA

Action Taken

1.

H CALLED ON ZHOU NAN TODAY AND SPOKE AS INSTRUCTED HIN

PARAGRAPH 4 OF TUR. SAND THAT YOU WOULD ACCOMPANY THE PRIME

MINISTER. ON TIMING OF THE VISIT, ADDED WHEN MAKING POINT (B)

OF PARAGRAPH 4 THAT THE PRIME MINISTER WOULD NOT TAKE A FINAL

DECISION UNTIL THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER.

2=

*

ZHOU SAND THAT HE WOULD CONVEY WHAT HAD SAID TO HIS LEADERS. THE FACT THAT THE PRIME MINISTER HAD DECIDED PERSONALLY

TO SIGN THE AGREEMENT SHOWED THE GREAT IMPORTANCE WHICH THE

BRITISH GOVERNMENT ATTACHED TO THE HONG KONG QUESTION. IT WAS

VERY GOOD NEWS AND, ZHOU SAID, WOULD BE GREATLY WELCOMED BY

THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. ZHOU THEN ASKED THREE QUESTIONS:

(A) WOULD THE PRIME MINISTER WISH TO DISCUSS BILATERAL RELATIONS

AND MULTILATERAL QUESTIONS OF COMMON CONCERN WITH CHINESE LEADERS

IN ADDITION TO SIGNING THE AGREEMENT?

(B) WOULD SHE WANT TO TRAVEL TO OTHER PARTS OF CHINA?

(C) HOW LONG DIND SHE WISH TO STAY IN CHINA?

3. I SAID THAT, SPEAKING PERSONALLY, I BELIEVED THAT THE PRIME

MINISTER WOULD WISH TO HOLD DISCUSSIONS WITH CHINESE LEADERS

ON BILATERAL RELATIONS AND ON MULTILATERAL QUESTIONS OF COMMON

CONCERN. DID NOT KNOW WHETHER SHE WOULD WISH TO TRAVEL TO OTHER PARTS OF CHINA. SHE HAD OF COURSE PAMD TWO EARLIER VISHTS,

DURING WHICH SHE HAD HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE SOMETHING OF

THE COUNTRY. SHE WOULD BE GLAD TO KNOW ABOUT ANY CONSIDERATIONS

OF THING WHICH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, AND IN PARTICULAR ZHAO

ZIHYANG, MIGHT WANT TO PUT TO HER.

4. ON THMING ZHOU SAID THAT HE WOULD LET ME KNOW THE PREFERENCES

OF ZHAO. HE ASKED WHETHER THE PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT WOULD BE

COMBINED WITH VISITS TO SOUTH EAST ASHAN COUNTRIES WHICH HAD

EARLIER BEEN POSTPONED. IN SAID THAT THIS WAS NOT YET DECIDED.

CONFIDENTIAL

15.