TNAG-2355-FCO40-3426-Visit-by-Douglas-Hurd--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Co-1991 — Page 54

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO DESKBY 281030Z FCO TELNO 975

OF 281004Z MARCH 91

HKD

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67

033626 MDHIAN 0019

PERSONAL FOR PAUL, HKD FROM GOVERNOR.

YOUR TELEGRAM NO. 595: VISIT OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO HONG

KONG: POSSIBLE MEETING WITH ZHOU NAN.

1. I WOULD SEE NO OBJECTION TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE SEEING ZHOU NAN HERE. IT COULD PROVIDE A MEANS OF GETTING AN ADVANCE WARNING TO PEKING OF THE MESSAGE THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE WISHES TO GIVE THERE. UNLIKE JI IN LONDON, ZHOU WOULD GIVE NOTHING IN RETURN EXCEPT THE STANDARD LINE.

2. HOWEVER, NCNA HAVE TOLD US THAT ZHOU, WHO IS AT PRESENT IN PEKING FOR THE NPC MEETING, WILL NOT RETURN TO HONG KONG UNTIL ABOUT 10 APRIL. HE MIGHT RETURN SPECIALLY TO HONG KONG IF WE SUGGESTED A MEETING WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE. BUT I DO NOT THINK IT IS WORTH GOING TO THOSE LENGTHS TO ARRANGE A MEETING.

WILSON

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SIR J COLES

MR BURNS

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CONFIDENTIAL