TNAG-2352-FCO40-3422-Visits-by-Lord-Caithness--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and--1991 — Page 8

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MDHIAN 9762

FOR SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS FOR THE XIAN AND SHENZHEN LEGS. COUNSELLOR SAID THAT IN XIAN THE MINISTER MIGHT PERHAPS VISIT A FARM AND A RURAL MARKET. HE MIGHT ALSO WISH TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THE ROLLS ROYCE ENGINEERS CURRENTLY WORKING IN THE XIAN AIRCRAFT FACTORY. IN SHENZHEN LORD CAITHNESS HOPED

TO GET AN IMPRESSION OF THE CLOSE ECONOMIC LINKS WITH HONG KONG.

5.

COUNSELLOR SAID THAT IT WAS AT PRESENT STILL UNCLEAR WHETHER OR NOT LADY CAITHNESS WOULD ACCOMPANY LORD CAITHNESS ON HIS VISIT. HE SAID THAT DAVIES (HEAD, FE D) AND PS/LORD CAITHNESS WOULD ACCOMPANY HIM. I WOULD INTEND TO ACCOMPANY LORD CAITHNESS WITHIN CHINA, AND IF LADY CAITHNESS ACCOMPANIED THE MINISTER THEN LADY MCLAREN WOULD ALSO WISH TO JOIN THE PARTY. COUNSELLOR SAID THAT WE REGARDED THIS VISIT AS A RETURN VISIT TO TIAN ZENGPEI'S VISIT TO BRITAIN IN 1990. IT WAS OUR PRACTICE TO LIMIT INCOMING VISITS

TO BRITAIN TO FIVE PEOPLE: WHAT WAS THE CHINESE SIDE'S VIEW OF

THE MODALITIES ?

6.

WANG REPLIED THAT TIAN ZENGPEI'S INVITATION HAD BEEN EXTENDED TO LORD AND LADY CAITHNESS AND TWO OR THREE OTHERS ACCOMPANYING THEM. INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL EXPENSES WOULD BE MET BY THE UK WHILE

INTERNAL EXPENSES WOULD BE MET BY THE CHINESE SIDE ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLE OF RECIPROCITY. HE ASKED TO KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WHETHER LADY CAITHNESS WOULD VISIT. WANG SAID THAT THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD GIVE POSITIVE CONSIDERATION TO OUR PROGRAMME REQUESTS IN PEKING, SHANGHAI AND GUANGZHOU. HE WOULD PUT OUR SUGGESTIONS TO THE AUTHORITIES IN XIAN AND SHENZHEN AND GIVE US THEIR ANSWER LATER.

7. WANG ALSO ASKED ABOUT BOOKING PLANE TICKETS. HE SAID THERE WERE TWO OPTIONS: FIRST, THE VISITING PARTY COULD BUY TICKETS FOR THE COMPLETE JOURNEY, IN WHICH CASE THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD DO NO MORE THAN RECONFIRM THE INTERNAL FLIGHTS. SECOND, THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD BOOK ALL OF THE INTERNAL FLIGHTS. WHICH OPTION DID WE PREFER ? COUNSELLOR SAID THAT HE WOULD ASK BUT ADDED ON A PERSONAL BASIS THAT IT MIGHT BE BEST THAT THE BRITISH SIDE BOUGHT THE TICKETS FROM LONDON TO PEKING AND FROM HONG KONG TO LONDON WITH THE CHINESE SIDE TAKING CARE OF ALL THE OTHER TICKETS. GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD CONFIRM THIS.

8.

WANG ASKED WHETHER A PRESS OFFICER AND JOURNALISTS WOULD ACCOMPANY THE MINISTER. THE LATTER WOULD HAVE TO FOLLOW THE USUAL PROCEDURES (COMMENT: I.E. PROVIDING DETAILS TO BE FORWARDED TO INFORMATION DEPARTMENT BY OUR PRESS OFFICER). COUNSELLOR

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