TNAG-2039-FCO40-2903-Visits-from-the-UK-to-China-1990 — Page 18

CONFIDENTIAL

010563

MDHOAN 0248

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE PEKING

TELNO 856

OF 291600Z OCTOBER 90

зоря

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG

FROM FED

FCO TELNO 848: BILATERAL VISITS

1.

GONG GENGQUAN, COUNSELLOR, CHINESE EMBASSY, CALLED ON HEAD OF FED ON 29 OCTOBER TO RUN OVER CERTAIN POINTS ABOUT WAN LI'S VISIT. THESE PRINCIPALLY CONCERN WAN LI'S SECURITY REQUIREMENTS (WHICH ARE CONSIDERABLE AND ON WHICH WE SHALL REPORT SEPARATELY).

2.

GONG ALSO FLOATED QUOTE ON A PERSONAL BASIS UNQUOTE THE IDEA THAT TIAN ZENGPEI MIGHT COMBINE HIS OWN PROPOSED VISIT WITH THAT OF WAN LI. GONG SAID THAT THIS IDEA WAS UNDER CONSIDERATION IN PEKING. IF IT WERE CONFIRMED, TIAN WOULD WISH TO HOLD TALKS WITH LORD CAITHNESS: HE WOULD ALSO BE WILLING TO TALK TO THE PRESS, INDEPENDENT OF ANY ARRANGEMENTS FOR WAN LI'S DELEGATION.

3. DAVIES SAID THAT WE HAD HAD WIND OF THIS IDEA IN A REPORT FROM YOU LAST WEEK. THE MATTER HAD ALREADY BEEN GIVEN SOME CONSIDERATION HERE AND OUR PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS WERE THAT:- (A) WE WARMLY WELCOMED A VISIT BY TIAN AT A TIME CONVENIENT TO

BOTH SIDES:

(B)

(C)

(D)

WE WERE NOT CONVINCED THAT TO COMBINE HIS VISIT WITH WAN LI'S WOULD BEST MEET THE INTERESTS OF BOTH SIDES IN HOLDING FULL DISCUSSIONS ON THE RANGE OF ISSUES WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT:

OUR OWN PRELIMINARY THOUGHT WAS THAT A VISIT VERY EARLY IN THE NEW YEAR MIGHT BE BETTER, SINCE IT WOULD FOLLOW THE NEXT JLG AND BE A GOOD START TO 1991 WHEN WE HOPED FOR A NUMBER OF OTHER HIGH LEVEL EXCHANGES:

IF NEVERTHELESS TIAN FELT THAT COMING WITH WAN LI WOULD SUIT HIM BEST, WE WOULD OF COURSE GLADLY GIVE THE IDEA FURTHER CONSIDERATION.

RECEIVED

DESK C

1:

5 NOV 1990

1

PAGE CONFIDENTIAL