ers 375
UNCLASSIFIED
FM PEKING 393872Z OCT 79
TO ROUTINE FCO
LEGRAM NUMBER 878 OF 9 OCTOBER 79
HICK oupl!
RECEIVED IN REGISTI Y NO.
BA
INFO PARIS, BONN, ROME, MOSCOW, WASHINGCOM. Hold OCT 1979
HUA GUOFENG'S PRESS CONFERENCE
DESK SERIOU»
INDEX
MY
1. ON 7 OCTOBER PREMIER HUA GUOFENG GAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE TO JOURNALISTS FROM THE FOUR WEST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES HE IS
SHORTLY TO VISIT.
2. IN HIS INTRODKRTORY REMARKS, HUA SPOKE OF HIS WISH TO STRENGTHEN THE GOOD RELATIONS ALREADY EXISTING BETWEEN CHINA AND THE WEST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. A STRONG AND UNITED EUROPE WAS
GOOD FOR WORLD PEACE.
3, IN HIS REPLIES TO JOURNALISTS' QUESTIONS HUA MADE THE
FOLLOWING MAIN POINTS:
(A) SINO-SOVIET RELATIONS.
THE RESULTS OF THE PRESENT SINO-
SOVIET TALKS IN MOSCOW WOULD DEPEND ON THE RUSSIANS.
(3) GERMANY AND DETENTE. CHINA UNDERSTOOD AND SYMPATHI SED WITH THE DESIRE OF THE GERMAN PEOPLE TO RE-UNIFY THEIR COUNTRY,
THE TIMING OF REUNIFICATION AND ITS RESULTS WERE SOMETHING FOR
THE PEOPLE OF BOTH PARTS OF GERMANY TO DECIDE. QUESTIONED ON
CHINA'S ATTITUDE TO THE FRG'S POLICY OF DETENTE WITH THE SOVIET
UNION, IUA SAID CHINA WAS OPPOSED NOT TO DETENTE BUT TO HEGEMONIST FOLICIES OF AGGRESSION AND EXPANSION. LOOKING AT RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA AND SOUTH EAST ASIA, CHINA SAW NO SIGNS OF DETENTE.
(C) SINO-VATICAN RELATIONS. THERE WERE NO PLANS TO SEE THE POPE DURING HIS VISIT TO ITALY, CHINA COULD NOT CONTEMPLATE CONTACTS WITH THE VATICAN WHILE THE VATICAN MAINTAINED DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH TAIWAN.
(D) VIETNAM. CHINA RESERVED THE RIGHT TO RETALIATE AGAINST FURTHER VIETNAMESE PROVOCATION. VIETNAMESE ALLEGATIONS THAT CHINA WAS PREPARING TO LAUNCH A LARGE-SCALE OFFENSIVE WERE INTENDED TO COVER UP VIETNAM'S OWN PREPARATIONS FOR A
MAJOR OFFENSIVE IN KAMPUCHEA DURING THE DRY SEASON.
(E) THE GANG OF FOUR. THEY MAD COMMITTED SERIOUS CRIMES AND WOULD BE DEALT WITH IN ACCORDANCE WITH LEGAL PROCEDURES BEFORE
TOO LONG. THEY WOULD NOT BE SENTENCED TO DEATH.
14.