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HONG KONG TELEGRAM NO.2124 TO FCO.
-3-
5. IT IS APPARENT THAT A CLOSE STUDY HAS BEEN MADE IN PEKING OF THE
OMMUNIST POLICY AND TACTICS EMPLOYED IN CONFRONTATION AND THE REACT
-IONS THERETO BY GOVERNMENT. AS A RESULT THE C.P.G. INTENDS TO
EXCERCISE EVEN GREATER CONTROL OVER HER FOLLOWERS IN HONG KONG,
SO THAT THE LOCAL STRUGGLE, NOW TO BE A ROUTINE LONG TERM AFFAIR,
IS SUBORDINATED TO THE OVERALL DICTATES OF PEKING'S FOREIGN
POLICY. WHILE THE POLICY DIRECTIVE IS AN AUTHORITIVE INSTRUCTION
ITS BROAD AIMS ARE NOT OF COURSE NEW SEMICOLON RATHER IT IS
AN EXPANSION OF THE GENERAL POLICY LINE FOLLOWED CLOSELY SINCE
THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR. (PREVIOUS INDICATIONS OF CHINA'S
DESIRE TO TONE DOWN CONFRONTATION WERE GIVEN IN TELEGRAMS 300
AND 3500.
6. AT THIS BRIEFING NO INDICATION WAS GIVEN TO THE IDENTITY OF THE
AUTHOR OF THIS DIRECTIVE, BUT AN EARLIER REPORT LEFT NO DOUBT THAT
IT ORIGINATED FROM CHOU EN LAI (TELEGRAM 2085 REFERS). CONSEQUENTLY
IT MUST BE ASSUMED THAT CHOU IS SUFFICIENTLY SURE OF HIS POSITION TO
DICTATE SUCH A PRAGMATIC APPRECIATION AND POLICY DIRECTIVE. THIS
COULD, OF COURSE, HAVE WIDER IMPLICATIONS THAN THE LOCAL SCENE AND
MAY BE A FURTHER POINTER TO A MORE RATIONAL APPROACH BY THE C.P.G.
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TO THE WHOLE QUESTION OFFOREIGN AFFAIRS.
FO PLEASE PASS ROUTINE WASHINGTON.
SIR D. TRENCH
FILES
HONG KONG DEPT.
P.U.S.D.
FAR EASTERN DEPT.
GUIDANCE DEPT.
J.I.R.D.
SIR A.GALSWORTHY
MR. MORETON
P.S. TO LORD SHEPHERD
OVERSEAS LABOUR ADVISER OVERSEAS POLICE ADVISER
[PASSED TO CABINET OFFICE]
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