CONFIDENTIAL
037342
MDHIAN 7917
LI PENG (IF HE IS WELL ENOUGH
A
DOUBTS ABOUT WHICH MIGHT EXPLAIN PROTOCOL'S INABILITY TO FIRM UP ARRANGEMENTS). ZHU RONGJI SEEMS UNLIKELY.
I
8 THE CHINESE INITIALLY RESISTED OUR PREFERENCE FOR HAVING THE VISIT TO THE FORBIDDEN CITY AFTER THE PRESS CONFERENCE, ARGUING THAT IT WOULD BE LOGISTICALLY EASIER TO REVERSE THE ORDER (ASSUMING THE PRESS CONFERENCE IS AT THE JIANGUO HOTEL). WE ARGUED STRONGLY THAT IT WOULD BE MORE RELAXING TO DO AS WE HAVE SUGGESTED AND THAT THE LOGISTIC PROBLEM CAN BE SOLVED BY HAVING THE PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, WHICH IS ON THE WESTERN (DIAOYUTAI) SIDE OF THE CITY. THEY HAVE NOW AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMME
0810
LEAVE RESIDENCE
0830 :
TALKS AT DIAOYUTAI
1150 :
LEAVE DIAOYUTAI
1205 :
ARRIVE SHANGRI-LA HOTEL
1215 :
PRESS CONFERENCE
1245 :
LEAVE SHANGRI-LA HOTEL
1300 :
ARRIVE FORBIDDEN
CITY
1325 : LEAVE FORBIDDEN CITY
1335 : ARRIVE RESIDENCE
1400 :
LEAVE RESIDENCE
1440 :
ARRIVE AIRPORT
DEPART (CA107)
1500 :
10.
THE CHINESE WERE SCEPTICAL THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE WOULD ENJOY ONLY 25 MINUTES IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY. WE EXPLAINED THAT HE HAS SEEN IT MANY TIMES BEFORE SO CAN BE SELECTIVE AND THAT HE WILL PROBABLY WANT TO STRETCH HIS LEGS. BUT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KNOW IN ADVANCE WHETHER THE SECRETARY OF STATE WOULD LIKE A BRISK WALK THROUGH THE COURTYARDS FROM SOUTH TO NORTH OR WHETHER HE WOULD PREFER TO VISIT A PARTICULAR SPOT.
MCLAREN
YYYY
PAGE 3 CONFIDENTIAL
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