My sand (59) Milky P
21. Con
Copy also to:- The Wilford.
Сори
CONFIDENTIAL UK EYES ALPHA
be shall minata.
E. Youde, Esq., CMG, MBE,
Mi Thale.
Në Bullard.
BRITISH EMBASSY,
PEKING.
movehave.
RE.
6.
5 June, 1974.
copied
ru
m.
RAY(FE) San
1716
13/1
Foreign & Commonwealth Office No. 51 London, S.W.1.
Dear Teddy,
MR. HEATH'S VISIT
HICK 3/548/2
RAD
TREA
Eaton
As you know, the record of official talks never conveys the full purport of what is said so I am writing to give you somo personal impressions of Mr. Heath's discussions, together with a few other subsidiary points.
2.
Tong Hsiao-p'ing is very quick and incisive in hig responses. The most striking example of this was his reaction to Ir. Heath's question whether the solution of the Kashmir question was a prior condition to the improvement of China's relations with India. As soon as Tong got the interpretation o Mr. Heath's question his reaction was instantaneous end the gick of his reply (though not of course the precise words) mo "Kashmir? Good Lord no! If we had to wait for a sol Llement of that question, none of us would still be here. No. of compr not, we shall certainly not hold up an improvement of our relabi with India until Kashmir is settled."
་་
In a rather different way his incisive manner came through clearly on the question of Chinese representation in Won Kone. His remarks reported in my telegram lo. 408 of 31 May were sadd emphatically and with what I thought was complete confidence that they would be accepted on our side at their face value. The sonne here was "We have asked for official representation begnuge we need it. You should not expect us to exploit the position for other purposes. We don't do that sort of thing." I felt that Tong's statement carried conviction and I think that Mr. Heath did too.
4. Since the Boumedienne visit hore in January it has been cccented doctrine among the more intelligent of my colleges that the Chinese leaders are dissatisfied with the speed with which the Americans are carrying out their side of the Shanghai communiqué, particularly in regard to Taiwan and Cambodia. accepted this view myself and David Bruce does too.
I There was,
1 however, nothing in Mr. Heath's conversations with the Chinese
leaders to confirm this view. On the contrary, they expressed conoral satisfaction with the American performance on this score and an understanding of their need to proceed slowly.
I think we must therefore now reject the information stemming from Boumedienne and accetp that the Chinese are well enough content with the speed i of the American fulfilment of the Shanghai communiqué.
CONFIDENTIAL UK EYES ALPHA
/ 5.