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CYPHER/CAT A
PRIORITY PEKING .. TO
TELNO 102
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE.
11 FEBRUARY 1969
ADDRESSED TO FCO TELEGRAM NO. 102 OF 11 FEBRUARY,
REPEATED FOR INFORMATION TO HONG KONG.
I WAS GRANTED AN INTERVIEW THIS MORNING WITH T'ANG, DEPUTY DIRECTOR WEST EUROPEAN DEPARTMENT. I EXPLAINED THAT I HAD COME TO MAKE A FAREWELL CALL, BUT WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING ON SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS. AS MR. T'ANG KNEW, THERE HAD BEEN PROBLEMS IN THESE RELATIONS, BUT OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS IN PARTICULAR I WAS GLAD TO SEE THAT THERE HAD BEEN DISTINCT IMPROVEMENTS. HER MAJESTY GOVERNMENT'S CONSISTENT WISH TO ACHIEVE BETTER RELATIONS. NONE OF THE PROBLEMS WAS INSOLUBLE. I HOPED THAT
IMPROVEMENT WOULD CONTINUE AFTER ARRIVAL OF MY SUCCESSOR.
IT WAS
2.
AFTER SOME PRELIMINARY COURTESIES CONCERNING MY DEPARTURE,
T'ANG SAID THAT HE TOOK NOTE OF THE WISHES I HAD EXPRESSED THAT
OUR RELATIONS WOULD IMPROVE. FRANKLY SPEAKING, RELATIONS IN RECENT
YEARS HAD NOT BEEN GOOD. HE PRESUMED IT WAS CLEAR TO ME THAT
RESPONSIBILITY WAS ON OUR SIDE. THE PROBLEM LAY IN HONG KONG.
THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS THE ACTIONS OF THE BRITISH AND HONG
KONG AUTHORITIES. HE REPEATED THAT HE HAD TAKEN NOTE OF OUR WISH
TO IMPROVE RELATIONS. LORD SHEPHERD HAD RECENTLY EXPRESSED A
SIMILAR WISH. FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW, IT WAS A QUESTION OF
WHETHER THE WISH WOULD BE EXPRESSED IN ACTIONS AND NOT ONLY WORDS.
THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IMPROVING RELATIONS RESTED ON THE BRITISH
SIDE.
HE WOULD THEREFORE LIKE TO KNOW WHAT WE INTENDED TO DO.
3.
I SAID I HOPED I COULD DRAW THE CONCLUSION FROM WHAT
MR. T'ANG HAD SAID THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT ALSO WISHED TO
IMPROVE RELATIONS. T'ANG CONFIRMED THAT HIS GOVERNMENT WAS WILLING
TO IMPROVE RELATIONS. THE PROBLEM WAS WHAT ACTION DID THE BRITISH
GOVERNMENT PROPOSE TO TAKE TO BRING ABOUT SUCH IMPROVEMENT? 1
THANKED HIM FOR HIS ASSURANCE. AS ALWAYS WHEN THERE WERE DIFFERENCE!
BOTH SIDES MUST EXERT EFFORTS TO SOLVE THEM. I POINTED OUT THAT
THE SITUATION IN HONG KONG HAD BEEN VERY MUCH NORMALISED AND THAT
NO NEW PROBLEMS HAD ARISEN. IT WAS A QUESTION OF HOW TO CLEAR AWAY
EXISTING PROBLEMS. MR. T'ANG HAD REFERRED TO ACTS RATHER THAN
/WORDS. CONFIDENTIAL
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