CONFIDENTIAL
J
6. THERE IS SIMILAR INTENSE ACTIVITY IN THE FIELD OP
SCIENCE AND EDUCATION. THE LATEST CHINESE PROPOSALS TO
SEND VERY LARGE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS AND GRADUATES TO
BRITAIN, THEIR REQUESTS FOR BRITISH TEACHERS AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL, AND THEIR READINESS TO PAY A GREAT
PART OF THE COSTS DEMONSTRATE THEIR SERIOUSNESS. THE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE, AS THE KEY TO MODERN TECHROLOGY, 13 IN GREAT DEMAND AND GIVES US SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES.
7. THIS CHINESE ACTIVITY IS MAINLY DIRECTED AT JAPAN, WITCH ENJOYS SPECIAL ADVANTAGES, TO LEADING WEST EUROPEAN KOUNTRIES, IN PARTICULAR WEST GERMANY, FRANCE ITALY AND BRITAIN, AND TO THE US. IN THE EUROPEAN GROUP WE HAVE SOME ADVANTAGE BECAUSE OF ENGLISH BUT LAG WELL BEHIND
THE WEST GERMANS IN LEVEL OF TRADE AND STILL I FEAR IN
DEGREE OF COMPETITIVENESS. BOTH THE GERMANS AND FRENCH
ARG AHEAD OF US IN THEIR POLITICAL RELATIONS WITH CHINA, THEIR PRIME MINISTERS HAVE BEEN HERE AND TENG HSIAO-P {NG,' THE SENIOR VICE PREMIER, HAS BEEN TO FRANCE. THERE IS A STRONG PROSPECT OF PREMIER HUA KUO-FENG VISITING FRANCE
EARLY NEXT YEAR.
*
2. IN THE PAST THE US HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT HANDICAPPED BECAUSE SINO/US RELATIONS ARE NOT NORMALISED, BUT WE
SHOULD NOT ASSUME THAT NORMALISATION WILL BE SO LONG
DEFERRED AND ALREADY THE CHINESE TENDENCY IS TO ENCOURAGE
THE PROCESS BY TREATING US FIRMS AND INSTITUTIONS IN MANY
FIELDS AS IF NORMALISATION HAD ALREADY TAKEN PLACE. US
COMPANIES ARE BEING VERY AGGRESSIVE. OUR ADVANTAGE IN
MIS RESPECT IS THEREFORE TEMPORARY AND ALREADY DIMINISHING,
CRADOCK
FCO/WHITEHALL DISTRIBUTION
TED
3
CONFIDENTI AL
COPIES TO:
MR BROWNING, DOT
SIR J HAMILTON,
DEPT OF EDUCATION & SCIENCE