that the French and the Germans have been more successful
in trading an we have.
PS:
Well, leaving bilateral relations aside
and moving on to foreign policy. To what extent do you think
Britain and China now have parallel interests in world policy,
in global policy?
LC:
-
Well, we as a country have a great interest
in stability and in peace. After all they are the policies of
both major political parties over these last years, and the sam
is true of China, because the Chinese as you know much better
than me since you live there have got a great programme of economic planning and of economic forward thinking planned for
themselves, and it clear is essential for them to have a period
of stability if they are going to carry out their economic plan
And so they have a vested interest in a stable world, and there
fore I think that both of us share this objective. And I
think its a very good thing that once a country is opened up and that there are opportunities of contact, its a very good
thing that we should use those contacts to influence the Chines
as perhaps in some ways they may influence us, with regard
to our thoughts about the world and about the way that
international affairs ought to bexmaintained arranged.
PS:
Of course the overriding preoccupation
in China in foreign policy and international affairs is
to restrain the growth of Soviet influence. Is that not
something else which we have essentially in common?
LC:
I think that it would be a mistake to assume
that because that is so it obviously is soit would be a
mistake to assume becuase we are friendly with China, one is
not friendly with the Soviet Union. I think that the two thing
are not incompatible, but it is obviously true, you have only
got to look at the situation to realise that the Chinese
are worried about Soviet expansion and it is equally true
that we in Europe, if you look at what is happening in NATO
vis a vis the Warsaw Pact and the amount of money spent there
-
we are
the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact on armaments
apprehensive about the military balance in Europe. So we do