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40 DURING HUS DISCUSSIONS WITH THE PRIME MINISTER HUANG HUA HAD
FOLLOWED THE THEME ON EAST-WEST RELATIONS WHICH HE USED DURING HIS TALKS WITH DR OWEN, EMPHASISING THE NEED FOR THE WEST TO BE VIGILANT AGAINST THE USSR. THE PRIME MINISTER EXPLAINED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WESTS DETENTE POLICY AND REITERATED THAT IMPROVEMENT OF OUR RELATIONS WITH CHINA SHOULD NOT AFFECT OUR RELATIONS WITH THE USSR. HONG KONG HAD BEEN MENTIONED AND BOTH SIDES HAD EXPRESSED THEIR SATISFACTION WITH
THE PRACTICAL CO-OPERATION WHICH EXISTED AND THE PLACE OF
HONG KONG IN THE BROAD CONTEXT OF SINO-UK RELATIONS.
5.
DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CHANCELLOR AND MR VARLEY HAD FOCUSSED
ON TRADE AND ECONOMIC MATTERS.
6. DR OWEN OPENED THE OFFICIAL TALKS WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE UK'S
LINKS WITH EUROPE AND THE US AND THE WESTERN POLICY OF VIGILANT
DETENTE WITH THE SOVIET UNION. WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SOVIET
DEFENCE BUILD UP AND AIMED TO REDUCE TENSION, E.G. BY NEGOTIATING FORCE REDUCTIONS IN EUROPE, SUPPORTING SALT AND CTB ETC. HE WOULD NOT ACCEPT EXCLUSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS FROM THE EAST/WEST DIALOGUE.
HUANG HUA HAD REPLIED WITH THE USUAL FORTHRIGHT DESCRIPTION OF
SOVIET POLICIES WORLD-WIDE AND OF THE RISKS WHICH THE WEST MUST NOT UNDER-RATE. CHINA THOUGHT THE WEST WAS ON THE DEFENSIVE
WHILE RUSSIA WAS ON THE OFFENSIVE, EG IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND
AFRICA. SOVIET POLICIES SHOULD BE RESISTED WHEREVER THEY APPEARED.
WAR WAS INEVITABLE BUT NOT IMMINENT AND WOULD BE DELAYED IF CHINESE
POLICIES WERE HEEDED. WHILE ACCEPTING MUCH OF THE CHINESE ANALYSIS,
DR OWEN WAS FIRM IN HIS REPLY AND REJECTED HUANG HUA'S
PESSIMISTIC INTERPRETATION. WESTERN POLICIES, IN AFRICA FOR EXAMPLE, WERE POSITIVE AND SUCCESSFUL. THE WEST WAS ALSO CHALLENGING THE PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE IN THE USSR IN HUMAN RIGHTS
TERMS.
7.
THERE WAS SOME GENERAL DISCUSSION OF CHINA'S DRIVE TO MODERNISE AND TO INCREASE ITS FOREIGN TRADE.
18.
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