7
}
CONTRIBUTION TO SECRETARY OF STATE'S ARTICLE FOR TA KUNG PAO
The high priority China places on harnessing her abundant natural
supply of energy lends much scope for co-operation with experienced
foreign partners. During my visit to the People's Republic of China
in November 1983 I readily identified a number of areas in which the
developing relationship between Chinese and British industries could
be progressively strengthened. In electric power generation and
transmission; in deep and opencast coal mining; in the exploration,
development and utilisation of natural gas; in oil exploration and
production and in energy conservation, Britain is at the very fore-
front of modern technology and is thus well equipped to make a meaning-
ful contribution to China's programme of energy reform. Already
British industry is playing an active part in many of these energy
sectors, but it is perhaps in power generation that we have made our
greatest contribution to date. The award of a £250 million contract,
as part of the Daya Bay project, marks a significant step forward in
our energy trade relationships. However, the UK's interest in this
project goes wider; we recognise the real concern of the people in
Hong Kong about the safety of the plant and have followed very closely
the public debate in Hong Kong. The nuclear plant will be built to
a French design and will be operated by the Chinese authorities.
Nevertheless, in the light of our general responsibility for the wel-
fare and well being of the people of Hong Kong, a responsibility which
we take very seriously, we have reflected the concerns of Hong Kong
people to the Chinese authorities in the course of the close contacts
which we have maintained with them on this project. We have been
reassured in the course of these contacts both to the seriousness with
which they take all safety aspects and their resolve to ensure the
necessary standards of safety.
British oil companies and their Chinese partners have been drilling for
crude oil on China's Continental Shelf since the early 1980s.
Though