TNAG-1743-FCO40-2462-Visits-by-FCO-officials-to-Hong-Kong--including-visit-by-Lor-1988 — Page 109

CONFIDENTIAL

HKB

PA 64

CQ7/1

005347

MDLIAN 4131

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 532

OF 220246Z MARCH 88

INFO PRIORITY ULAN BATOR, HONG KONG

YOUR TELNO 239: LORD GLENARTHUR'S VISIT

1.

THE OVERALL DATES PROPOSED FOR LORD GLENARTHUR'S VISIT TO CHINA

ARE FINE. I AGREE THAT IT WOULD BE RIGHT TO USE THE AVAILABLE TIME

FOR AN EXTENSIVE AND VARIED REGIONAL TOUR, AVOIDING THE BEATEN TRACK. XIAN, CHONGQING, AND CHENGDU SEEM WELL-CHOSEN BOTH FOR

COMMERCIAL INTEREST AND FOR THE WAY THEY WILL ILLUMINATE CURRENT

REGIONAL POLICY. THE ROLLS ROYCE/BAE PROJECT FOR PRODUCTION OF SPEY

MOTORS AT XIAN SHOULD BE WELL WORTH A VISIT: THE SPEY 202 ENGINE

(ENCLUSIVELY PRODUCED THERE) IS NOW TO BE USED IN A CHINESE FIGHTER AIRCRAFT, AND ROLLS ROYCE WILL SHORTLY BE OFFERING THE CHINESE A NEW CO-PRODUCTION SCHEME FOR THE SPEY SK15, TO WHICH A VISIT BY A BRITISH MINISTER COULD GIVE A USEFUL BOOST.

2. WE

CANNOT ADVISE ON THE DETAILS OF TRAVEL AT THE MOMENT, SINCE CAAC HAVE YET TO PUBLISH THEIR SUMMER SCHEDULES. I RECOMMEND · HOWEVER, LORD GLENARTHUR SHOULD PLAN TO STAY IN PEKING FOR TWO AND A HALF DAYS (ASSUMING A MORNING ARRIVAL ON MONDAY 22 JUNE) AND LEAVE FOR XIAN ON THE MORNING OF THURSDAY 25 JUNE. THIS WOULD LEAVE

FOUR-FIVE DAYS TO COMPLETE THE REST OF THE CHINA ITINERARY, WHICH SHOULD BE FEASIBLE FOLLOWING THE ORDER YOU SUGGEST. IN PEKING, LORD GLENARTHUR MIGHT EXPECT TO HAVE TWO SESSIONS OF TALKS WITH ZHOU NAN

(WHO HAS MADE CLEAR HE WILL REGARD HIMSELF AS THE HOST) AND A

COURTESY CALL ON THE FOREIGN MINISTER. WE COULD ALLOW UP TO ONE DAY

FOR SIGHT-SEEING AND SHOPPING, AND FIT IN ANOTHER COUPLE OF CALLS OR VISITS DEPENDING ON LORD GLENARTHUR'S INTERESTS. IT WOULD BE

HELPFUL TO KNOW IF LORD GLENARTHUR HAS ANY SPECIFIC WISHES WHICH WE

COULD MENTION TO THE CHINESE IN THIS CONNECTION WHEN WE MAKE OUR

FIRST APPROACH ON THE DATES AND PROGRAMME. I EXPECT THAT ZHOU

NAN'S WIFE WILL OFFER TO ACCOMPANY LADY GLENARTHUR ON A SEPARATE

PROGRAMME FOR AT LEAST PART OF THE TIME.

3. WE CAN CONSIDER NEARER THE TIME WHO FROM THIS EMBASSY SHOULD ACCOMPANY LORD GLENARTHUR ON HIS PROVINCIAL TOUR, BUT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO CHECK WHETHER MY SUCCESSOR WOULD BE INTERESTED IN PRINCIPLE IN DOING THIS HIMSELF.