TNAG-1339-FCO40-1771-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1984 — Page 74

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CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

DESK BY 1409OOZ BOTH

FM HONG KONG 140745Z DEC 84

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 3739 OF 14 DECEMBER

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

HKK 040/57

HY

17 DEC 1984

TOR COPY

REGISTRY Arvon Taken

PEKING TELNO 2979: PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT: SIGNATURE CEREMONY.

1. | NOTE FROM PARA 3 OF TEL UNDER REF THAT THE CHINESE ARE PLANNING FOR THE OBSERVERS TO BE PLACED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE SIGNATURE TABLE AT ZHAO'S END OF IT, FILLING THE SPACE BETWEEN THE TABLE AND THE PRESS. YOU WILL REALISE THAT THIS ARRANGEMENT WILL PLACE THE OBSERVERS PHYSICALLY ON THE CHINESE SIDE OF THE HALL AND WILL GIVE THE STRONG IMPRESSION THAT THE WHOLE OF THE GROUP OF OBSERVERS IS UNDER THE CHINESE WING.

2. THE ONLY WAYS WE CAN THINK OF TO AVOID THIS SITUATION WOULD BE TO PLACE THE OBSERVERS IN A BLOCK FACING THE TABLE, WITH THE PRESS BEHIND THEM OR AT THE SIDES: OR TO DIVIDE THE OBSERVERS

INTO TWO GROUPS ON SOME AGREED (E.G. ALPHABETICAL) BASIS. 30TH THESE ALTERNATIVES HAVE DISADVANTAGES AND NEITHER IS LIKELY TO APPEAL TO THE CHINESE. YOU MAY, HOWEVER, WISH TO WARN MINISTERS OF THE IMPRESSION LIKELY TO BE CREATED BY THE ARRANGEMENTS PROPOSED BY THE CHINESE: THE CEREMONY IS LIKELY TO RECEIVE WIDE INTERNATIONAL COVERAGE, PARTICULARLY ON TELEVISION.

3. SEE MIFT.

YOUDE

LIMITED

нко FED PROTOCOL D NEWS D

MK NILSON

[REPEATED AS REQUESTED]

COPIES TO

31R

P

CRADOCK (2)

CONFIDENTIAL

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