TNAG-1840-FCO40-2615-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 7

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 316

OF 010354Z MARCH 89

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

-CONFIDENTIAL

HKB

011/3

Cories 1969

INFO PRIORITY UKREP JLG HONG KONG

+

TODIST?

101

122

164730

MDHIAN 4620

MY TELNO 293: FAC ENQUIRY

1.

THIS SUBJECT CAME UP WHEN I SAW ZHOU NAN OFF AT PEKING AIRPORT ON 28 FEBRUARY. ZHOU STARTED BY SAYING IN A FAIRLY

RITUAL FASHION THAT IT WOULD NOT BE HELPFUL FOR THE BRITISH

PARLIAMENT TO INTERVENE IN THE DRAFTING OF THE BASIC LAW WHICH WAS A MATTER FOR CHINA. HOWEVER, HE SEEMED TO UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF THE COMMITEE'S AUTHORITY AND THEIR ENQUIRY AND

AGREED THAT IT WAS BETTER TO GIVE A SENSIBLE ANSWER TO QUESTIONS THAN TO REBUFF THEM. HE RECKONED THAT HE WOULD BE BACK IN PEKING HIMSELF BY THE TIME OF THE COMMITTEE'S VISIT, WITH THE IMPLICATION THAT HE WOULD BE WILLING TO RECEIVE THEM. I EXPLAINED

THAT THE FORMAL REQUESTS FOR CALLS ON HIM AND OTHERS WOULD BE MADE THROUGHT THE P IF A.

BAILES

YYYY

ΜΑΙΝ

21

LIMITED

HKD

FED

NNNN

DISTRIBUTION

21

PRU

MR GILLMORE

MR MCLAREN

PAGE

1

CONFIDENTIAL