PAGE 2. VERBATIM SERVICE 357/67
30/8/1967.
IN SPITE OF THESE RESTRICTIONS PLACED ON BRITISH SUBJECTS IN CHINA, UNTIL 22 AUGUST LAST, THAT IS TO SAY UNTIL IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SACKING OF HER MAJESTY'S MISSION IN PEKING, NO RESTRICTIONS WHATEVER HAD BEEN PLACED ON THE EXIT OF CHINESE NATIONALS FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM. THEY WERE FREE TO LEAVE AT WILL. WHEN IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THE CHINESE WERE DELIBERATELY PREVENTING THE EXIT OF BRITISH SUBJECTS FROM CHINA, HER MAJESTY ° GOVERNMENT MADE THE EXIT OF CHINESE NATIONALS FROM THIS COUNTRY SUBJECT TO CONTROL BY EXIT VISA.
THE CHINESE NOTE COMPLAINS ALSO OF THE RESTRICTIONS PLACED UPON THE TRAVEL OF CHINESE DIPLOMATIC AND OTHER OFFICIALS WITHIN THIS COUNTRY, FOR MANY YEARS NOW BRITISH OFFICIALS IN PEKING HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TRAVEL FREELY ONLY WITHIN A RADIUS OF 20 KILOMETRES FROM THE CITY CENTRE, WITH TWO EXEMPTIONS FOR SPECIFIC PLACES BEYOND THAT RADIUS. IF THEY WISHED TO TRAVEL ELSEWHERE THEY HAD TO APPLY FOR PERMISSION, AND IN RECENT MONTHS THIS HAS ALMOST ALWAYS BEEN REFUSED. IT WAS ONLY AFTER THE CHINESE HAD PLACED THESE TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ON BRITISH OFFICIALS THAT RESTRICTIONS WERE PLACED UPON THE MOVEMENT OF CHINESE OFFICIALS IN THIS COUNTRY. UNTIL TWENTYTWO AUGUST LAST THEY WERE FREE TO TRAVEL ANYWHERE AT WILL WITHIN A RADIUS OF THIRTYFIVE MILES OF MARBLE ARCH. IF THEY WISHED TO TRAVEL FURTHER THEY WERE REQUIRED TO NOTIFY THE FOREIGN OFFICE AT LEAST FORTYEIGHT HOURS BEFORE THE TIME OF THE PROJECTED JOURNEY. PERMISSION WAS HARDLY EVER REFUSED, PROVIDED THE JOURNEY TOOK PLACE BY SPECIFIED ROUTES, ALTHOUGH IN A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF CASES IT WAS REFUSED BECAUSE THE APPLICATION WAS MADE WITHIN LESS THAN THE FORTYEIGHT HOURS REQUIRED, IN THE LIGHT OF THE ACTION TAKEN BY THE CHINESE AGAINST THE U.K. MISSION IN PEKING THE ZONE IN WHICH CHINESE OFFICIALS MAY FREELY TRAVEL IN THIS COUNTRY WAS RESTRICTED ON TWENTYTWO AUGUST FROM THIRTYFIVE MILES TO FIVE MILES FROM MARBLE ARCH.
THE CHINESE NOTE ALSO COMPLAINS THAT THE CHINESE MISSION IN LONDON HAS BEEN INSTRUCTED TO SUSPEND THE USE OF THEIR DIPLOMATIC RADIO TRANSMITTERS. WHEN THE U.K. MISSION IN PEKING WAS SACKED AND BURNED, THE BRITISH DIPLOMATIC RADIO FACILITIES THERE WERE DESTROYED. THE RESTRICTIONS WHICH H.M.G. HAVE PLACED ON THE USE OF THE CHINESE TRANSMITTERS DO NOT MEAN THAT THE CHINESE MISSION ARE UNABLE TO HAVE TELEGRAPHIC CONTACT WITH PEKING THEY ARE FREE TO USE NORMAL COMMERCIAL TELEGRAPHIC SERVICES.
IN THEIR TELEPHONIC AND OTHER ORAL PROTESTS THE CHINESE MISSION HAVE COMPLAINED OF THE POLICE SURVEILLANCE NOW PLACED UPON THEM. THE FOREIGN OFFICE CONSIDER THAT, IN THE LIGHT OF THE DELIBERATE ATTACKS BY CHINESE MOBS ON BRITISH PERSONNEL AND PROPERTY IN CHINA, THIS MEASURE OF SURVEILLANCE IS NOT ONLY WHOLLY JUSTIFIED, BUT IS REQUIRED BY THE OBLIGATION PLACED UPON HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT BY DIPLOMATIC USAGE AND PRACTICE TO TAKE ALL APPROPRIATE STEPS TO PROTECT THE PREMISES OF DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AGAINST ANY INTRUSION OR DAMAGE AND TO PREVENT ATTACKS ON DIPLOMATIC AGENTS,
HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT HAVE NO DESIRE TO EXACERBATE THE ALREADY UNHAPPY RELATIONS BETWEEN THEMSELVES AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. THEY ARE WILLING AT ANY TIME TO DISCUSS WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, ON A RATIONAL AND BUSINESSLIKE BASIS, THE MUTUAL RELAXATION OF ALL THESE RESTRICTIONS AND THE RETURN TO CONDITIONS BETWEEN THEM AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT CONDUCIVE TO THE PROPER CONDUCT OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS.
ENDS VS357/67.....L P S...
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