CONFIDENTIAL
9990
1
24.
HUA'S TETE-A-TETE WITH THE PRIME MINISTER YESTERDAY
AFTERNOON PROVIDED MORE OF AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A GENUINE
EXCHANGE OF VIEWS THAN IN THE FIRST PLENARY SESSION WHICH
FOLLOWED IT, WHERE RATHER TOO MUCH OF THE TIME WAS TAKEN UP
BY A MONOLOGUE FROM HUA ON PREDICTABLE LINES. THE PRIME
MINISTER REFERRED FIRST TO SOUTH-EAST ASIA, SUGGESTING THAT
VIETNAMESE INTENTIONS WERE TO DESTABLIZE THE REGION.HUA AGREED AND POINTED -AT LENGTH - TO SOVIET MACHINATIONS BEHIND HANOI'S ACTIONS. HE THEN REVIEWED THE WORLD'S ACTUAL AND POTENTIAL TROUBLE SPOTS - AFGHANISTAN, SOUTH YEMEN,
ETHIOPIA, THE GULF - AS VARIATIONS ON THE SAME THEME.
SOVIET INTENTIONS WERE TO ENCIRCLE EUROPE FROM ITS PERIPHERY
AND CONTROL THE SEA ROUTES. THERE WAS DANGER OF WORLD YAR
IN THE MID 80S. BUT THE RUSSIANS WERE NOT HAVING EVERYTHING
THEIR OWN WAY.
CHINA'S DEVELOPING RELATIONS WITH THE US,
JAPAN AND WESTERN EUROPE GAVE THEM PAUSE. THE PRIME MINISTER,
AGREEING IN GENERAL, ASKED WHAT COULD BE DONE TO COUNTERACT
SOVIET STRATEGY IN SOUTH EAST ASIA AND SOUTHERN AFRICA. HUA
THEN JUSTIFIED, AGAIN AT LENGTH, CHINA'S ATTACK ON VIETNAM
AND EXPLAINED CHINA'S CAREFUL CONSIDERATION BEFORE THE ATTACK
ABOUT LIKELY SOVIET REACTIONS. A MAJOR RESULT OF CHINA'S
ACTION HAD BEEN, TO BOLSTER ASEAN AND PARTICULARLY THAILAND.
5.
HUA CONCLUDED WITH A LONG APOLOGIA FOR CONTINUED
SUPPORT FOR KAMPUCHEAN RESISTANCE FORCES (PRINCIPALLY FOL
POT DESPITE HIS PREVIOUS 'ERRORS'). HUA WAS IN FAVOUR
THE PRIME
OF DISASTER RELIEF FOR THE KAMPUCHEAN PEOPLE, BUT THIS SHOULD
NOT EE CHANNELLED THROUGH THE VIETNAMESE.
MINISTER
EMPHASISED THE GREAT CONCERN IN THE UK ABOUT
KAMPUCHEA. OTHER AREAS WERE HARDLY TOUCHED ON BUT HUA'
SAW A ROLE FOR THE UK, WITH FRANCE AND GERMANY IN THE
MIDDLE EAST SINCE LIKE CHINA BUT UNLIKE THE USA WE WERE NOT
TCO CLOSELY IDENTIFIED WITH ISRAEL.
5.
IN SEPARATE, TALKS WITH HUA AND SUBSEQUENTLY WITH VICE
2
CONFIDENTIAL
/PREMIER YU QIULI,