CONFIDENTIAL
DSP 11 (Revised)
DRAFT:
minute/letter/teleletter/despatch/note
FROM:
P Morrice
DEPARTMENT:
TEL. NO:
TYPE: Draft/Final 1+
Reference
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
TO:
Dr D C Wilson
Top Secret
Secret
Political Adviser
Government Secretariat
HONG KONG
Confidential
Restricted
Unclassified
PRIVACY MARKING
CAVEAT..
In Confidence
Enclosures-flag(s)...........
SUBJECT:
EC/CHINA RELATIONS:
1.
URANIUM
Your Reference
Copies to:
M W Atkinson Peking R B BoneUKREP
FED ESSD
ECD (E)
ECO(I)
JNU
Brussels
I had a visit recently from a member of the staff of
DG XVII of the EC Commission in Brussels whom I had known
when I was posted there, recently.
2.
He told me that the Commission had been invited by the
Chinese Embassy in Brussels to send a team to China to look
at the potential for uranium exploration.
3.
My contact, Ross Aitken, said that the Commission had
reacted warmly to the idea and had decided to go ahead
cat
with the visit but without, at this stage, informing member
Hozanci states. Their problem was that DG1 (External Relations)
visitors was woefully ignorant on China and they were very anxious
to have a general briefing on China before entering the
country. The normal procedure would be to approach the
Presidency and be briefed on the spot. However, there
was a major snag. The Dutch occupied the Presidency and
were in bad odour with the Chinese following the decision
to go ahead with the sale of submarines to Taiwan. It
would not do, therefore, for Commission visitors to be
seen consorting with the Dutch Embassy in Peking. Nor
could they seek briefing from the Embassy of any other /member
CONFIDENTIAL