TNAG-1465-FCO40-1992-Visits-by-Chinese-officials-to-the-UK--including-visit-by-Hu-1986 — Page 40

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GRS700 CONFIDENTIAL

FM ROME

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 405

OF 271245Z JUNE 86

CONFIDENTIAL

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, HONG KONG

HRK02612

RECI..

- 2 JUL 1986

TRY

ра

281.

INFO ROUTINE BONN, WASHINGTON

INFO SAVING MOSCOW

(78)

INDEX

PA

Action Taken

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YOUR TELNO 412 TO PARIS: VISIT BY HU YAOBANG TO ITALY.

1. HU YAOBANG VISITED ITALY FROM 19 TO 24 JUNE.

IN ROME HE HELD A LENGTHY MEETING WITH CRAXI, SHORTER MEETINGS WITH ANDREOTTI AND SPADOLINI, AND PAID COURTESY CALLS ON THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, THE PRESIDENTS OF THE CHAMBER AND SENATE, FORMER PRESIDENT PERTINI, AND THE MAYOR OF ROME. ONE DAY OF THE VISIT (21 JUNE) WAS DEVOTED ENTIRELY TO

MEETINGS WITH ITALJAN COMMUNIST PARTY LEADERS. HU DEVOTED 22

JUNE TO TOURISM IN VENICE, AS THE GUEST OF THE MINISTER OF

LABOUR, WHO HAD VISITED PEKING IN 1985. THE FINAL DAY OF HIS VISIT WAS SPENT IN TURIN AS THE GUEST OF AGNELLI, PRESIDENT OF FLAT.

2. THE ITALIAN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR GAVE A COMMUNITY

BRIEFING ON THE VISIT ON 25 JUNE. HE SAID THAT HU HAD TAKEN UP AN INVITATION TO VISHT ITALY DELIVERED BY A PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION IN PEKING IN 1985. THERE HAD BEEN SOME DIFFICULTY IN NEGOTIATING THE DETAILED ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE VISIT.

HU HAD ASKED TO BE INVITED AS THE GUEST OF THE ITALIAN SOCIALIST AND/OR COMMUNIST PARTIES, BUT THE MFA HAD INSISTED THAT HE COME AS THE GUEST OF THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT. THE CHINESE HAD BEEN

KEEN THAT HU SHOULD BE ACCORDED THE LEVEL OF RECEPTION WHICH GORBACHEV WOULD RECEIVE ON A SIMILAR VISIT, BUT HE HAD NOT RECEIVED FULL HEAD OF STATE TREATMENT.

3. MAIN SUBJECTS DISCUSSED WHERE CHINESE/ITALIAN ECONOMIC RELATIONS: USA/USSR RELATIONS, AND CHINA'S RELATIONS WITH EACH SUPERPOWER: ROLE OF EUROPE: CHINESE INTERNAL AFFAIRS: AND OTHER MATTERS. FURTHER PARTICULARS FOLLOW SAVING.

4. JANUZZI COMMENTED THAT HU SEEMED TO HAVE TWO MOTIVES IN MAKING THIS EUROPEAN TOUR. FIRST CHINA WISHED TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE WHICH IS ATTACHED TO EUROPE'S POSITION AS A POTENTIAL COUNTERWEIGHT TO THE TWO SUPERPOWERS. SECOND HE SAW THE OPPORTUNITY FOR A PUBLIC RELATIONS EXERCISE FOR HIMSELF. IN JANUZZI'S JUDGEMENT HU HAD ACHIEVED BOTH THESE AIMS. THE ITALIANS HAD NOT HOWEVER BEEN IMPPRESSED BY HU'S PERSONAL PEROFORMANCE. HE DID NOT APPEAR WELL BRIEFED ON THE SUBJECTS COVERED NOR PRECISE IN HIS ANALYSES. LI PENG HAD BEEN EXCLUDED FROM THE MAIN POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS BY ITALIAN PROTOCOL, BUT DURING OTHER PARTS OF THE VISIT HAD PLAYED THE SAME ROLE IN PROMPTING HU AS HE HAD DONE IN LONDON.

CONFIDENTIAL

15.