TNAG-2715-FCO40-3921-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1993 — Page 100

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

FM PEKING

TO DESKBY 06010OZ BTC HONG KONG

TELNO 45

OF 050948Z OCTOBER 93

INFO PRIORITY FCO

FOR CHINA TRADE UNIT

FCO FOR PRU

1.9. FAC

(81

127366 MDLIAN/1666

=r1/8

REC

*y

FAC VISIT TO CANTON AND SHENZHEN

We are sending this by telegram as we have been unable to reach you by telephone today.

1.

2. As a result of our meeting with the NPC yesterday, we need to consider alternative arrangements for the FAC's time in Guangdong and their subsequent travel to Hong Kong. It is unclear from our files whether arrangements have yet been made to buy train tickets, but the new suggestion is that we revert to your original proposal and that the FAC should travel by train from Canton to Shenzhen early on the morning of 16 October, spend the morning and lunch there, then visit Shekou and take the hovercraft from there to Hong Kong at about 1730. We should be grateful for your views on whether this is practicable and for details of the times of hovercraft crossings (and provisional bookings if possible). An alternative might be to spend only one night in Canton and travel to Shenzhen on the evening of 15 October.

4.

The NPC have informed us that the Protocol Department of the Foreign Affairs Bureau in Canton are coordinating the visit Locally. The telephone numbers are 020 8887912 ext 239 or 8861679. The Guangdong people's Congress will host a banquet on the evening of 15 October. No other details of the programme are yet firm, but as you know we have asked for a visit to the Guangying mill to be included. Timing for a drink with ABCC/CBTG is thus still uncertain.

5.

We are preparing a briefing pack for the FAC and should be grateful for a contribution from you about Guangdong. Your standard briefing for visitors or short pieces about Canton and Shenzhen plus an economic overview would be useful.

1

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