TNAG-1339-FCO40-1771-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1984 — Page 226

CONFIDENTIAL

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ED IN REGISTRY

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DATE:

10 DEC 1984

DEX OFFICER

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REGISSY

Action Taken

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258

Mark Elliott

Far Eastern Department

6 December 1984

Mr Galsworthy, HKD

Mr Kenyon, NED

Dr Wilson

PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO CHINA:

TALKS WITH ZHAO ZIYANG

A

PROBLEM

The Chinese have asked for an indication of the bilateral issues which the Prime Minister will raise in her talks with Zhao Ziyang. (Peking telno 2902)

1.

RECOMMENDATION

2.

I recommend that we give Sir R Evans discretion to provide this. I submit a self-explanatory draft telegram to Peking. It has been cleared as appropriate with DTI, HKD and other relevant Departments.

BACKGROUND AND ARGUMENT

3. It has already been agreed with the Chinese that the talks with Zhao Ziyang should cover Hong Kong, together with bilateral issues including trade and the Guangdong Nuclear Project and, on international topics, East/West relations and arms control, Sino- Soviet relations, South Asia and Korea. The Chinese have however pressed several times for a more detailed indication of bilateral topics we wish to raide. They have also made it clear that they wish to devote much of the time available to trade and economic cooperation, most recently in Li Peng's comments to Mr Buchanan- Smith and Sir R Evans (Peking telno 2886). The Embassy's views on briefing for the talks are set out in Peking telno 2727. Our own proposals were recorded in Mr Ricketts' letter of 29 November

(following the line agreed at your meeting on 22 November with DTI and ODA), and approved by No 10 in Mr Powell's letter of 5 December.

4.

most

The draft telegram is a largely straightforward reflection of this approach, and meets the Embassy's recommendations on points. I see no need to alter our tactics in the light of Li Peng's comments (which are nevertheless encouraging): it has already been agreed that trade will be on the agenda; and the arguments about whether to give a high profile to the Guangdong Nuclear Project have been rehearsed separately. It is in any case clear from Li Peng's remarks and those of Zhou Nan (paragraph 3 of Peking telno 2902) that the Chinese recognise that this may cause difficulties for us.

CONFIDENTIAL

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