Q 458
UNCLASSIFIED
M LISBON 0817492 FEB 79
10 IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER
56 OF 8 FEBRUARY
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG
PRIORITY PEKING
ROUTINE WASHINGTON
UKMIS NEW YORK
UKDEL NATO
1
Hak goo!!
PA
No
1 J112
MY TEL 33
SINO PORTUGUESE RELATIONS.
1. THE PRIME MINISTER CALLED A PRESS CONFERENCE AT NOON TODAY TO ANNOUNCE THAT PORTUGAL AND CHINA HAD AGREED TO ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT.
2. UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION OF A JOINT COMMUNIQUE ISSUED TODAY is
AS FOLLOWS:--
BEGINS
33 . THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND THE
REPUBLIC OF PORTUGAL HAVE DECIDED TO ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
AT AMBASSADORIAL LEVEL AS FROM 8 FEBRUARY 1979 AND TO EXCHANGE
AMBASSADORS WITHIN A PERIOD OF THREE MONTHS.
THE TWO GOVERNMENTS WILL MAINTAIN DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS IN CONFORM- ITY WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF MUTUAL RESPECT FOR SOVEREIGNTY AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY, OF NON-INTERFERENCE IN INTERNAL AFFAIRS, OF EQUALITY, AND OF RECIPROCAL BENEFITS.
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC RECOGNISES THE GOVERN-
MENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AS THE SOLE LEGAL GOVERNMENT OF CHINA, AND TAIWAN AS A CONSTITUENT PART OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC
CF CHINA. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC DECLARES THAT
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH TAIWAN HAVE BEEN SEVERED SINCE JANUARY
1975.
THE CHINESE