TNAG-2102-FCO40-2991-Leading-personalities-in-Hong-Kong-1990 — Page 81

CONFIDENTIAL

Mr

D A For Walker, Rescorter Rent

044672

AKCOIO,

(2

Mr Paul MDTTAN 8742 My rajis

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

RECEIV

DEGISTRY

1 MAY 1990

Action Taken

TO TELELETTER PEKING

TELELETTER FILE REF PA SCR 3/3571/69 ISTRY

OF 3005OOZ APRIL 90

AND TO TELELETTER UKREP JLG HONG KONG, FCD, MOSCOW

FROM:

TO:

COPIED TO:

TIAN ZENGPEI

2

RM34

for HR personalities. Ru

3014

WILLIAM EHRMAN, POLITICAL ADVISER, HONG KONG PETER DAVIES ESQ, PEKING

ANTHONY GALSWORTHY ESQ CMG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG HUGH DAVIES ESQ, FED, FCO

ALAN PAUL ESQ, HKD, FCO ROD LYNE ESQ, MOSCOW

1. TONY GALSWORTHY AND I WERE SEATED ON EITHER SIDE OF VICE- MINISTER TIAN ZENGPEI AT THE DINNER WHICH HE GAVE FOR THE TWO JLG TEAMS ON 27 APRIL. TIAN, AS YOU KNOW, HAS RECENTLY BEEN MADE RESPONSIBLE FOR WESTERN AND EASTERN EUROPE, THE SOVIET UNION AND HONG KONG.

2. TIAN STRUCK TONY AND ME AS VERY BRIGHT. HE HAS A DIRECT AND QUITE PLEASANT PERSONALITY. HE COMES FROM HEBEI AND WAS EDUCATED AT NANKAI UNIVERSITY. HE IS TRAINED IN RUSSIAN BUT ALSO PROBABLY SPEAKS SOME ENGLISH. HE THREW IN THE ODD ENGLISH WORD OR TWO DURING THE COURSE OF THE EVENING. HE HAS SPENT MOST OF HIS CAREER IN EASTERN EUROPE, IN PARTICULAR IN POLAND AND YUGOSLAVIA, IN THE LAST OF WHICH HE WAS AMBASSADOR UNTIL 1988 (AND KNEW ANDREW WOOD). HE HAS ONCE VISITED LONDON IN 1958.

3. HE TOLD TONY STRAIGHT AWAY THAT HE KNEW NOTHING YET ABOUT HONG KONG CHAVING ONLY JUST BEEN GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT) AND THAT THEY SHOULD THEREFORE SPEAK ABOUT OTHER SUBJECTS. WE CONCENTRATED THEREFORE ON LI PENG'S VISIT TO THE SOVIET UNION. TIAN HAD ACCOMPANIED HIM AND HAD JUST RETURNED THAT DAY. I ASKED WHETHER THE VISIT HAD BEEN SUCCESSFUL. HE REPLIED THAT IT HAD BEEN AS EXPECTED. HE SAID THAT NO DETAILS HAD BEEN DISCUSSED ON THE BORDER QUESTION. THE TWO SIDES HAD MERELY AGREED TO KEEP TALKING. THEY MIGHT AIM FOR SOME CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES IN FUTURE. I ASKED BOUT THE AGREEMENT WHEREBY THE SOVIET UNION WILL SUPPLY CHINA WITH A NUCLEAR POWER STATION. WE HAD HEARD THAT THERE MIGHT BE PLANS FOR ONE TO BE BUILT IN GUANGDONG. WAS THIS LIKELY? TIAN SAID THAT NO DECISION HAD

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