4. ZHAO SAID IN REPLY THAT CHINA UNDERSTOOD WHY A NUMBER OF WESTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES HAD AGREED TO INF DEPLOYMENT TO OFFSET SOVIET NUCLEAR SUPERIORITY IN EUROPE. BUT THE ESCALATING ARMS RACE, PARTICULARLY IN NUCLEAR WEAPONS, WAS MAKING THE SITUATION IN EUROPE AND THE WHOLE WORLD EVEN MORE TENSE, WHICH WAS A MATTER OF CONCERN TO PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AND ALSO TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. CHINA HOPED TO SEE RELAXATION OF TENSION BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES AND WAS GLAD TO SEE RECENTLY MORE CONTACT AND AN IMPROVEMENT IN RELATIONS BETWEEN COUNTRIES OF EAST AND WEST
EUROPE.
5. CHINA WELCOMED THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE SOVIET UNION AND THE UNITED STATES TO RESUME ARMS CONTROL TALKS IN JANUARY AND HOPED THIS WOULD LEAD TO A RELAXATION OF TENSION AND GENUINE DISARMAMENT. NEVERTHELESS, THE PROCESS WOULD CLEARLY BE A DIFFICULT ONE. IT SEEMED THAT IT REPRESENTED MERELY A CHANGE OF TACTICS BY THE TWO SUPERPOWERS NEITHER HAD IN FACT ABANDONED ITS INTENTION. OF SEEKING MILITARY SUPERIORITY. ZHAO HOPED THAT COUNTRIES CLOSE TO THE UNITED STATES, PARTICULARLY BRITAIN, WOULD URGE THE US TO ABANDON EFFORTS TO SEEK SUCH SUPERIORITY. HE HAD RECENTLY TOLD THE VISITING NORWEGIAN PREMIER THAT ALTHOUGH THE SOVIET UNION FACED ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES IN SUSTAINING MILITARY EXPENDITURE, NEVERTHELESS THE SOVIET PEOPLE WOULD BE WILLING TO MAKE SACRIFICES IF THE SOVIET UNION FELT INSECURE AS A RESULT OF AMERICAN FAILURE TO SHOW RESTRAINT. CHINA THEREFORE HOPED THE UNITED STATES WOULD SHOW RESTRAINT IN INF DEPLOYMENT AND WOULD MAKE EFFORTS TO REACH AGREEMENT WITH THE SOVIET UNION.
6. THE PRIME MINISTER POINTED OUT THAT THE SUPERPOWERS WERE FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT. THE SOVIET BRAND OF COMMUNISM, UNLIKE ANY OTHER POLITICAL SYSTEM, HAD WORLD DOMINATION AS ITS OBJECTIVE, WHICH IT SOUGHT THROUGH THE THREAT POSED BY THE GREAT FORCES AT ITS COMMAND, THROUGH ACTIVE SUBVERSION AND THROUGH THE USE OF PROXY FORCES SUCH AS THE CUBANS. THE UNITED STATES ON THE OTHER HAND USED ITS STRENGTH SOLELY FOR DEFENCE. DESPITE HAVING FOR YEARS HAD A TOTAL MONOPOLY ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS, THE UNITED STATES HAD AT NO STAGE USED THAT POWER TO EXTEND ITS TERRITORY.
7. SHE CONTINUED THAT NUCLEAR WEAPONS, BY THEIR HORRIFIC POWER, HAD PROVIDED A KIND OF SECURITY THAT DID NOT EXIST BEFORE, PROVIDED NO NATION OBTAINED A MEANS TO KNOCK OUT ANOTHER'S NUCLEAR WEAPONS. THE CURRENT ESCALATION WAS BECAUSE EACH SIDE FELT THAT THE OTHER MIGHT FIRST DEVELOP SUCH A CAPACITY AND SO UPSET THE BALANCE. THE PRIME MINISTER SAID ONE OF HER TASKS WAS TO EXPLAIN TO THE SOVIET UNION THAT THE INITED STATES WAS NOT SEEKING SUPERIORITY BUT THAT BALANCE COULD BE UPSET IF ONE SIDE GOT SO FAR AHEAD THAT THE OTHER FELT INSECURE. ANOTHER TASK WAS TO CONVINCE THE SOVIET UNION THAT THE WEST WAS SINCERE IN WANI DISARMAMENT. THIS COULD NOT BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT OTHER MEASURES TO RELAX TENSION AND BUILD CONFIDENCE. THE PRIME MINISTER CONCLUDED BY EMPHASISING THAT WORLD SECURITY WOULD NOT BE HELPED BY AN AGREEMENT WHICH MERELY RESULTED IN THE RELOCATION OF
EXISTING SOVIET NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
2
CONFIDENTIAL
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