TNAG-2262-FCO40-3258-Meetings-between-David-Wilson--Governor-of-Hong-Kong-and-Lu--1991 — Page 5

SECRET

нив 182 15

(15)

105415

MDHIAN 6033

SECRET

FM PEKING

TO DESKBY 19083OZ HONG KONGTM

TELNO 188

OF 190752Z JULY 91

INFO DESKBY 19083OZ FCO

INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG

14

AUUTST

PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM AMBASSADOR

UKREP JLG PERSONAL FOR GALSWORTHY

TOP COPY Q DIST?

MY TELNO 187 AND TELECON WITH EHRMAN: LU PING

1.

CHEN ZIYING TELEPHONED THIS AFTERNOON TO SAY THAT LU PING ACCEPTED YOUR PROPOSAL OF A MEETING IN SHENZHEN ON THE MORNING OF THURSDAY 25 JULY. CHEN ADDED THAT HIS AND MY TASK HAVING BEEN SUCCESSFULLY ACCCOMPLISHED, DETAILED ARRANGEMENTS COULD BE MADE THROUGH XU ZE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE SECOND DEPARTMENT OF THE HKMAO. WHEN I SUGGESTED THAT IT MIGHT BE BETTER FOR THE DETAILS TO BE DISCUSSED THROUGH NCNA IN HONG KONG, CHEN DID NOT EXACTLY DEMUR BUT REPEATED HIS EARLIER SUGGESTION.

2.

CHEN MADE ONE FURTHER POINT. I HAD REFERRED TO THE NEED FOR YOUR VISIT TO SHENZHEN TO BE MADE PUBLIC. THE CHINESE SIDE ACCEPTED THAT YOU WOULD NEED TO SAY SOMETHING, BUT WONDERED IF YOU COULD DELAY DOING SO UNTIL AFTER THE VISIT WHICH WOULD, AFTER ALL, BE VERY SHORT. I SAID THIS MIGHT BE DIFFICULT: YOUR MOVEMENTS WERE NORMALLY MADE KNOWN IN ADVANCE. CHEN SAID IF THAT WAS THE CASE, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO BE MADE ONLY WHEN YOU WERE ALREADY IN SHENZHEN? I ASKED WHETHER THE CHINESE SIDE'S CONCERN RELATED TO THE NUMBER OF HONG KONG JOURNALISTS WHO WOULD BE LIKELY TO GO TO SHENZHEN IF THE VISIT WAS ANNOUNCED BEFOREHAND. CHEN SAID THAT THIS WAS INDEED WHAT THE CHINESE SIDE WERE WORRIED ABOUT. I SAID I WOULD ASK WHETHER IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO DELAY SAYING ANYTHING UNTIL YOU WERE ACTUALLY IN SHENZHEN.

COMMENT

3.

IT WOULD CLEARLY BE BETTER FOR THE DETAILED ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE MEETING TO BE MADE IN HONG KONG. BUT I SEE NO NEED TO INSIST. THE APPARENT CHINESE SENSITIVE Y ABOUT THIS COULD, I SUPPOSE, RELATE TO AN INTENTION ON LU'S PART TO EXCLUDE ZHOU NAN FROM THE MEETING.

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