CONFIDENTIAL
-14-
機密
Stepanovich Kapitsa, Chinese Ambassador to the Soviet Union YANG Shouzheng, head of the department of the USSR and Eastern Europe of the Chinese Foreign Ministry MA Xusheng and a senior official of the Chinese Foreign Ministry WANG Jinqing.
Comment: 1) Beijing domestic service rendered 'a candid
but peaceful atmosphere' (paragraph 44) as 'tan shuai he ping jing de qi fen (0982/ 3764/0735/1627/7234/4104/3049/3050).
MA
2) WANG Jinqing is the deputy head of the MFA's
Soviet and Eastern European Department. Xusheng's appearance as head of the Department is news. He was deputy head of the Department in 1977 and Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Moscow in 1979.
3) HUANG Hua was removed from the post of Foreign
Minister only three days after his talk with his Soviet opposite number (reported to have lasted 90 minutes). Although his 'stepping down' had been expected for some time, his rather abrupt departure is held by observers to signal the leadership's displeasure with HUANG's rather enthusiastic remarks concerning Sino-Soviet relations, both at his meeting with Gromyko and on his return to Beijing. Although a 'symbolic' improvement in relations has been noticeable in recent weeks, this is the obverse of Chinese dissatisfaction with state- ments and policies originating in Washington. China has remained steadfast on her conditions for an improvement in Sino-Soviet relations and the recently concluded discussions in Beijing between the Chinese and Soviet Vice Foreign Ministers got no further than the preliminaries. On 9th November, the eve of Brezhnev's death, DENG Xiaoping told a visiting Japanese friend- ship delegation that China awaited Soviet action, not words. On 19th November, the day after HUANG's return to Beijing, Premier ZHAO made similar remarks to the Thai Premier, who is currently on a visit to China. HUANG, on the other hand, is reported to have expressed his optimism that the next round of Sino- Soviet discussions, to be held in Moscow, would bring about an improvement in relations. He said he and Gromyko had "held detailed discussions with the purpose of removing the obstacles in the way of improving relations between China and the Soviet Union and find- ing out ways for the improvement of such
/relations"
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機密
CONFIDENTIAL ##