TNAG-1999-FCO40-2846-Meeting-between-Douglas-Hurd--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-1990 — Page 17

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CONFIDENTIAL

Fur Fifcot

054730

MDHIAN 5641

CHKBO20/3

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1927

OF 201023Z JUNE 90

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

2 ¡ JJN 1990

Hke/Chine. выдать

TOP COPY Q DIST?

MY TELNO 1873, YOUR TELNO 1135 AND PEKING TELNO 887: ZHOU NAN: DINNER ON 19 JUNE

SUMMARY

A MODERATELY RELAXED OCCASION. ZHOU WELCOMED MR MAUDE'S VISIT. HE ARGUED FOR CLOSE CONSULTATION WITH CHINA, IN A TIMELY MANNER, ON

· MAJOR ISSUES AFFECTING 1997 SEMI COLON BUT MAINTAINED CHINA DID NOT - WANT A CONDOMINIUM, NOR A VETO OVER OUR ACTIONS. A SHARP DIG AT THE LACK OF PRIOR WARNING ON THE NATIONALITY BILL BUT NO OTHER POINTS ON IT. STRONG BUT NON-SPECIFIC LINE ON BILL OF RIGHTS: CHINA THINKS IT UNNECESSARY. CAUTIOUS ON PADS: THE MAIN CHINESE FEAR IS CLEARLY COST OVERRUNS. ON VBPS, ZHOU STRESSED HOW MUCH CHINA HAD DONE TO PREVENT THEM REACHING HONG KONG. ON DEMONSTRATIONS, NO ATTEMPT TO ARGUE FOR THEIR SUPPRESSIONS BUT ZHOU COMPLAINED THAT IF WE ALLOWED THE TEMPERATURE TO RISE TOO FAR, INCIDENTS LIKE THE SHOT THROUGH THE NCNA WINDOW WOULD RECUR. A PLEA THAT WE SHOULD BUILD UP CO-OPERATION AND IMPROVE THE ATMOSPHERE. ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, ZHOU IS CLEARLY SENSITIVE TO HONG KONG PRESS CRITICISM.

DETAIL

2.

ZHOU DULY CAME TO AN INFORMAL DINNER ON THE LADY MAURINE ON 19

JUNE, ACCOMPANIED BY CHEN GUOPING. HE HAD RETURNED THE PREVIOUS EVENING FROM PEKING WHERE HE HAS BEEN, ON AND OFF, FOR 10 DAYS. HE WAS IN A SLIGHTLY MORE SUBDUED AND RELAXED MOOD THAN IS SOMETIMES

THE CASE. THE EVENING WAS INTERESTING AS MUCH FOR THE DOGS THAT DID

NOT BARK AS FOR THOSE THAT DID.

3.

ZHOU SAID THAT DURING HIS VISIT TO PEKING HE HAD MET DENG

XIAOPING. IT EMERGED THAT THIS WAS AT A MEAL FOR SIR Y K PAO. THE MAIN THRUST OF DENG'S REMARKS, WHICH HAVE APPEARED IN THE PRESS HERE (ALTHOUGH WITHOUT MENTION OF THE MEAL FOR SIR Y K PAO), HAD BEEN THAT STABILITY IN CHINA WAS ESSENTIAL FOR THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION. IF THERE WERE INSTABILITY, OR EVEN CIVIL WAR, THE NUMBERS LEAVING CHINA WOULD CAUSE CHAOS IN THE SURROUNDING AREA INCLUDING

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