TNAG-1339-FCO40-1771-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1984 — Page 278

GRS 400

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY 07100OZ

CONFIDENTIAL

FROM PEKING 07094OZ DEC 84

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 2926 F 7/12/84

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

HKK 040

RECEIVSE PEOETRY 07 DEC 1984

4-FICER

PA

m

239

OR COPY

RY

Action Taken

YOUR TELNOS 1334 AND 1502: PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT:

HONG KONG ATTENDANCE

233

1. CALLED ON ZHOU NAN THIS AFTERNOON AND SPOKE AS INSTRUCTED.

1. HANDED OVER OUR AMENDED LIST. I MADE IT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THAT

WE EXPECTED TO NOMINATE APPROXIMATELY 10 UMELCO MEMBERS OURSELVES

AND DREW ON PARAGRAPHS 6(1) AND (41) OF HONG KONG TELNO 1380

TO ILLUSTRATE HOW THE CHINESE LIST MIGHT BE REDUCED IF THE CHINESE

SIDE CONSIDERED THAT NUMBERS WERE BECOMING TOO LARGE.

2. ZHOU SAID HE HAD NOTED MY REMARKS. HE THEN ASKED IF WE HAD

ANY OBJECTION TO THE INVITATIONS BEING ISSUED BY THE HONG AND MACAO

OFFICE. I SAID THAT WE DID NOT. ZHOU NOTED THAT WE HAD NO OBJECTION

TO THE NUMBER OF OBSERVERS BEING GREATER THAN 100. HE UNDERTOOK TO

STUDY AND CONSIDER OUR LIST. IF THE CHINESE SIDE HAD COKMENTS,

WE WOULD BE INFORMED OF THEM THROUGH LIAISON OFFICERS.

3. ZHOU THEN HANDED ME A REVISED CHINESE LIST CONTAINING 102 NAMES.

(SEE MIFT FOR DETAILS OF ADDITIONS/DELETIONS). ZHOU SAID THAT,

IN VIEW OF MY PERSONAL REACTION TO THE INCLUSION IN THE FORMER LIST

OF NOTABLES FROM MACAO, THEIR NAMES HAD BEEN DELETED AND THE TITLE

OF ZHE LIST HAD BEEN CHANGED. THE REVISED LIST WAS SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE MINOR AMENDMENT, BUT WAS MAINLY SETTLED''. ANY FURTHER MINOR AMENDMENTS WOULD BE NOTIFIED TO US THROUGH LIAISON OFFICERS

IN GOOD TIME. ZHOU COMMENTED THAT NOT ALL THOSE WHOM THE CHINESE

INTENDED TO INVITE WOULD NECESSARILY ACCEPT. HE ALSO POINTED OUT

THAT THE CHINESE SIDE INTENDED TO INVITE EITHER THE COMMISSIONER

OR ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF POLICE BUT NOT BOTH (THIS IS EVIDENT

FROM MIFT). ZHOU SAID THAT, IF WE HAD COMMENTS ON THE CHINESE LIST,

HE HOPED WE WOULD MAKE THEM KNOWN IN GOOD TIME. HE DID NOT EXCLUDE

THE POSSIBILITY THAT FURTHER NAMES MIGHT BE ADDED TO THE CHINESE LIST. HE LATER COMMENTED THAT HE DID NOT THINK THAT A COMBINED LIST (1.E. ONE CONSOLIDATING THE LISTS OF THE TWO SIDES) WOULD

BE TOO LONG.

CONFIDENTIAL

/4.SEE