White House Diaries

Friday, April 27, 1984

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A breakfast meeting with my gang at our Villa. We kept a noisy tape going all through the meal to nullify any hidden microphones. We later learned there were such. Indeed Dave Fisher unscrewed the plate on his light switch & removed one for a souvenir. Later 5 were found in our quarters. On to the Great Hall of the People for a 90 min. meeting with Premier Zhao. It was a good meeting. We mainly discussed the global situation and I scored some points on what our goals were. I was careful to make it clear that we were not seeking an alliance, that we approved of Chinas non-aligned status but that as friends & Pacific Basin neighbors we could contribute to Peace & Stability in the basin. Back to the guest house for lunch & then back to the Hall where in the auditorium I addressed a meeting of Chinese leaders—bus. Acad. etc. This was the speech re-played on T.V. but with some of my lines about the Soviet U.—religion & free economy deleted. Then back to another 90 min. meeting with Zhao. We get along very well. I like him & I think he reciprocates. This time we got into bi-lateral matters having to do with trade, investment etc. Following this meeting I had a 1 hr. meeting with Gen. Sec. Hu—the party leader. He’s a feisty little man & more doctrinaire about his ideology than anyone I met. He lectured me about removing our troops from S. Korea. I gave it right back to him that there was no way we’d do that, if N.K. [North Korea] wants better relations let them stop digging tunnels under the D.M.Z. etc. I didn’t consider this meeting very important but I invited him to visit the U.S. He jumped at it. I have in mind he might learn something by seeing the outside world. That night was the big welcoming banquet at the Great Hall. Somehow this 12 course dinner went down easier. There were the usual toasts & then some interesting musical entertainment.