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The bulk of the talks with Chinese leaders was devoted to 7. balance of power and European questions. Distrust of Soviet
The Secretary intentions was predictably the main Chinese theme.
In
of State stressed the commitment of the UK to the EEC which we wanted to see develop as a major force in international affairs. He underlined the British commitment to NATO and the resilience and toughness of the US, pointing out that there were firm US guarantees to Western Europe in the event of aggression. discussion on détente Mr Crosland made it clear that while we intended to continue with policies designed to lower the temperature between East and West this did not mean that we had any illusions about or trust in the Soviet Union.
8. The Chinese for their part spoke of the world situation in familiar terms stressing that war, while it may be delayed is inevitable. They portrayed Soviet ambition as global in scope but focussed particularly on Europe. China wanted to see a strong and united Europe in a balanced partnership with the United States. The Chinese portrayed the Soviet Union as outwardly strong but inwardly weak and her success in eg Angola as temporary. There was no prospect of a rapprochement between China and the Soviet Union. contradiction between the two countries was fundamental. China was more prepared to resist the Soviet threat than might appear.
The
9. The Chinese made relatively little comment on areas outside Europe. In response to questions they expressed the view that the essence of the Korean problem was reunification. South Korean "clamour" and the ending of the Vietnam war had stimulated anxiety over a new war in Korea, but the Chinese did not think this likely. On South East Asia the Chinese expressed general satisfaction with developments in the region. It would not be easy for the Soviet Union to exploit the post Vietnam situation. The Chinese supported ASEAN in resisting super power intervention and maintained good relations with all its members except Indonesia (these remarks were made on the eve of a visit by the Singapore Prime Minister to China). The Secretary of State explained British policy in Southern Africa. The Chinese made little comment other than to reiterate in a low key their support for the liberation movements there. The Middle East (Egypt) and South Asia (Bangladesh) were mentioned only as examples of the evanescence of Soviet success.
Bilateral relations
10. The visit confirmed that these are good. The Chinese Foreign
The Minister said that there were "no major issues between us". Chinese said they would welcome a visit by the Prime Minister and the Chinese Foreign Minister agreed to visit Britain at a moment to be decided. The Chinese showed interest in a shipping agreement and agreed that periodic political discussions are useful and that cultural exchanges are valuable and should continue. As expected, there was no new progress on the air services agreement and the Chinese showed no interest in a consular agreement or a claims settlement.
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