CONFIDENTIAL
9.
The Prime Minister agreed in November 1982 that we should not pursue the idea of a State visit until negotiations over Hong Kong had progressed sufficiently to make it politically desirable. The possibility was not raised again until July 1984,
when Chairman Deng Xiaoping told the Secretary of State in Peking that Her Majesty would be welcome to visit China at a time
convenient to her.
10 A formal recommendation from the FCO that The Queen pay a
State visit to China and Hong Kong in 1986 will shortly be
considered in the course of the routine planning procedure for Royal visits. Meanwhile Buckingham Palace have agreed that
the Prime Minister should tell the Chinese that Her Majesty was
pleased to accept the invitation in principle, but that a visit
will not be possible before 1986.
ii)
Invitation to Premier Zhao Ziyang to visit Britain
11. The Prime Minister extended an oral invitation to Zhao Ziyang
during her visit to China in September 1982. This was confirmed by
our Embassy in Peking in October 1982. During his meeting
with the Secretary of State in July 1984 Chairman Deng Xiaoping
said that Zhao looked forward to visiting Britain in 1985.
12. Zhao toured several West European countries including France
and FRG this summer but omitted Britain because the Hong Kong
negotiations were in progress. There have since been indications that, although eager to visit, he thinks it would be inappropriate
to do so before the Joint Declaration is ratified (in June 1985).
For us there is no reason in principle why he should not come
as soon as mutually convenient dates can be arranged.
c) Nuclear Cooperation Agreement
13. The Chinese have embarked on a large civil nuclear programme
of which the Guangdong power station is only a small part. They
have expressed much interest in the equipment available from
western countries.
/14.
CONFIDENTIAL
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