TNAG-1470-FCO40-1999-Visits-by-Chinese-officials-to-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 25

GRS 340

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 316

OF 040824Z MARCH 86

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG

CONFIDENTIAL

HKR027/4

RECE..

- 5 MAR 1986

T:

TOP COPY

INDE

A857

FOLLOWING PERSONAL FOR GALSWORTHY, HONG KONG DEPT

HONG KONG PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR

38

YOUR TELNO 396 TO HONG KONG AND HONG KONG TELNOS 619 AND 660:

WU XUEQIAN

(36)

1. SUBJECT TO WHAT I SAY IN PARAGRAPH 4 BELOW, I AGREE WITH THE GOVERNOR'S JUDGEMENTS IN HONG KONG TELNO 660.

2. A WAY OF AVOIDING THE NEED TO CONVEY AN INVITATION TO WU THROUGH ZHOU NAN WOULD BE FOR ME TO GIVE A SHORT WRITTEN MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO WU TO ME ZHAORONG, THE DIRECTOR OF THE WESTERN EUROPEAN DEPARTMENT. THE ONLY SNAG I CAN SEE IN SUCH A PROCEDURE IS THAT IT COULD GIVE THE IMPRESSION THAT HONG KONG WAS

NOT TO BE AT THE HEAD OF THE AGENDA.

3. WE CANNOT YET EXCLUDE THE POSSIBILITY THAT WU WILL ACCOMPANY HU YAOBANG TO WESTERN EUROPE IN JUNE. BUT I THINK IT IMPROBABLE. FOR HIM TO DO THIS WOULD ENTAIL BEING ABSENT FROM CHINA FOR ALMOST THE

WHOLE OF MAY AND MUCH OF JUNE.

4. HU YAOBANG WILL BE VISITING GERMANY, FRANCE AND ITALY (IN THAT ORDER) AFTER LEAVING LONDON. AS YOU HAVE POINTED OUT THERE IS SOME DANGER THAT WU WOULD NOT ACCEPT AN INVITATION TO STOP OVER IN LONDON, EVEN FOR A FEW HOURS, IN THE BELIEF THAT ACCEPTANCE OF THE INVITATION WOULD PUT THE NOSES OF THE GERMANS AND THE OTHERS OUT OF JOINT. (WE KNOW THAT THE FRENCH ARE DISPLEASED THAT HU HAS DECIDED TO VISIT BRITAIN BEFORE FRANCE. CONVERSELY, THE CHINESE ARE MAKING A POINT OF SAYING TO US THAT HU'S DECISION IS A FAVOURABLE POLITICAL SIGNAL FOR US.) THIS DANGER HAS TO BE BALANCED AGAINST THE DANGER OF BEING EXPLICIT WITH THE CHINESE TOO SOON.

5. WE SHALL BE MAKING ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE DATES OF WU'S VISITS TO

COUNTRIES OTHER THAN IRELAND.

CONFIDENTIAL

16.

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