TNAG-1434-FCO40-1917-Hong-Kong-leading-personality-Sir-Yue-Kong-Pao--businessman-1986 — Page 51

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51

شما

OCMIAN 9047

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DD 14220OZ PEKIN

FM FCOLN TO PEKIN

141600Z OCT

GRS 350

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FM FCO

TO DESKBY 14220OZ PEKING

TELNO 1271

OF 14160OZ OCTOBER 86

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG

FOR PS/FOREIGN SECRETARY

FROM PRIVATE SECRETARY

50

HKKO

010/2

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY 2 8 OCT 1986

DESK OFFICER INDEX

FCO TELNO 1252 (NOT TO HONG KONG): Y K PAO:

HIGH-LEVEL EXCHANGES

1.

REGISTRY Actión Jaken

IN HIS CALL ON THE PRIME MINISTER TO DISCUSS NINGBO STEEL-

WORKS ON 13 OCTOBER SIR Y K PAO SAID THAT, WHILE IN PEKING,

HE HAD PUT TO ZHAO ZIYANG THE PRIME MINISTER'S PROPOSAL THAT

BRITISH AND CHINESE LEADERS SHOULD HAVE PRIVATE MEETINGS EACH

YEAR. ZHAO ZIYANG HAD RESPONDED POSITIVELY. THE PRIME MINISTER

SAID THAT SHE THOUGHT THERE MIGHT BE SOME MISUNDERSTANDING.

SHE WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY SUCH PROPOSAL, THOUGH SHE KNEW THAT IT

HAD BEEN SUGGESTED THAT MEETINGS ON THE MODEL OF THE DITCHLEY

PARK CONFERENCES, INVOLVING OFFICIALS AND OTHER LEADING

CITIZENS FROM MANY WALKS OF LIFE, COULD PLAY A HELPFUL ROLE

IN ANGLO-CHINESE RELATIONS. WHILE THERE WOULD NO DOUBT BE SOME

MINISTERIAL PARTICIPATION, THESE WOULD NOT BE PRIMARILY MEETINGS OF MINISTERS, LET ALONE PRIME MINISTERS. IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO ARRANGE FOR SUCH MEETINGS TO TAKE PLACE IN THE CONTEXT OF

MINSITERIAL VISITS BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA. SIR Y K PAO

EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THIS SUGGESTION THOUGH IT CLEARLY

DIFFERED FROM THAT WHICH HE PUT ON HIS OWN AUTHORITY TO ZHAO

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