?
A
Mr Gowan
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Reference
HEADS OF MISSION CONFERENCE: FOR INFLUENCE IN SE ASIA
PAPER ON SINO-SOVIET COMPETITION
I have no substantive comments on the paper which I found useful in examining one of the aspects of Sino-Soviet relations likely to prevent any dramatic or long term rapprochement between the two sides. At the risk of splitting hairs, I suggest changing the second of the two tables at the end of the paper. It was not clear to me that the percentage figures (Economic Aid Disburse- ments table) referred to the percentage of worldwide Soviet (or worldwide Chinese) aid given to the country in question. I suggest simply substituting ''worldwide Soviet/Chinese aid'' for ''total Soviet/Chinese aid'' just to leave no room for doubt. Also, I am doubtful that the right hand column (headed ''1954-81'') serves any useful purpose. The period lumped together is a long one and cannot show whether either country has stepped up or cut back on aid to the countries mentioned. I note from the recent despatch from Peking on China and the Third World (paragraph 6) that China's aid to Third World countries has been ''drastically curtailed compared with the amounts disbursed in the 1960s and early 1970s'' it would be interesting to compare the aid figures of China and the USSR for each decade. However it may not be worth the trouble involved in obtaining them - ESID tell me that the figures in the table were lifted from a NATO paper and that a more comprehensive breakdown is not available as far as they know.
Debora LV Bar &
CODE 18-77
SS 8/78
15 November 1982
D V Barnes
Eastern European & Soviet Department
233 3761
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