CONFIDENTIAL
Mr Scott
BRITISH RELATIONS WITH CHINA
1.
Thank you for your comments on the draft which I have incorporated into it, along with others from Mr Murray and Mr McLaren. It also now takes account of an observation by Lord Goronwy-Roberts and I hope the rewritten section on the Soviet aspect will go some way towards meeting the point on this made to me by Mr Walden.
2. I have not amended the draft further to take specific account of Mr Braithwaite's minute. I think he is right to be cautious about the way China may develop, but I hope this is adequately reflected in the present version. In expressing the belief that the pot would not boil over I think Mr Cradock had in mind a repetition of the Cultural Revolution. Both Hua and Deng, and the large number of leaders now being rehabilitated seem determined to prevent a recurrence of the chaos which was provoked by Mao personally for a very specific purpose in the last years of his life. In the medium term at least I think Mr Cradock's judgment is right on this.
3. I would like if possible to put the draft to the Private Office for this weekend's box. Would you be kind enough to let me know of comments by Sir R Hibbert which I can also take into account?
25 January 1979
cc:
PS
PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts PS/PUS
Mr Murray
Mr Fergusson
Mr Braithwaite Mr McLaren
Liched Samuel
RC Samuel
Far Eastern Dept
CONFIDENTIAL