CONFIDENTIAL
"The Government of the United Kingdom recognise
the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China.
"The Government of the People's Republic of
China appreciates the above stand of the Government
of the United Kingdom".
We have not subscribed to Peking's claim that Taiwan is a province of China. The joint communique in "acknowledging the position of the Chinese Government that Taiwan is a province of the People's Republic of China" does not entail acceptance of the Chinese claim. A private undertaking was however given to the Chinese that we would no longer express in public the view which we have long held that sovereignty over Taiwan is undetermined. In answer to questions about our attitude to the status of Taiwan, we have undertaken to limit any reply to the following wording:
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"The Government of the United Kingdom acknowledge the position of the Chinese Government that Taiwan is à province
of the People's Republic of China. Both the Government of the People's Republic of China and Taipei maintain that Taiwan is a part of China. We held the view both at Cairo and Potsdam that Taiwan should be restored to China. That view has not changed. We think that the Taiwan question is China's internal affair to be settled by the Chinese people themselves".
Visits to Taiwan by government servants (including
Diplomatic Service officials, members of other
government departments, and members of the armed forces)
5.
Official visits to Taiwan by government servants (except those by members of the staff of the former Consulate) have not been permitted since 1950. Following the agreement to exchange Ambassadors with Peking and to withdraw our Consulate from Taiwan, it has now been decided that no government servant, irrespective of rank, shall visit Taiwan on duty. Government servants travelling on duty by air in the Far East should where possible avoid flights which have intermediate stops in Taiwan (as is the case on certain flights from Tokyo to Hong Kong). Similarly, shipping services with scheduled stops in Taiwan should be avoided on duty journeys.
6.
There is however no objection to private visits by government servants to Taiwan provided that these receive no publicity. Any government servant proposing to make a private visit to Taiwan (eg on leave) must inform Far Eastern Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office well in advance.
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CONFIDENTIAL