нив ого CONFIDENTINO 1987
INSEX
PA
285
077610
MDHIAN 3840
Tiket.
CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1878
OF 291055Z OCTOBER 1987
(CORRECTED VERSION) AMENDED DISTRIBUTION
AND TO IMMEDIATE UKREP BRUSSELS, WASHINGTON, NEW DELHI, HONG KONG
MY TELNO.1838
(NOT TO UKREP BRUSSELS OR HONG KONG):
TIBET.
1. AT A LUNCH I GAVE FOR HIM ON 28 OCTOBER, MEI ZHAORONG, DIRECTOR OF THE WESTERN EUROPEAN DEPARTMENT IN THE MFA, SPOKE TO ME ABOUT A RESOLUTION ON TIBET WHICH HE SAID HAD BEEN ADOPTED BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ON 15 OCTOBER. HE SAID THAT THIS RESOLUTION HAD BEEN SUPPORTED BY ALL FRACTIONS'' IN THE PARLIAMENT EXCEPT FOR
.
COMMUNIST ''FRACTIONS
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT FOUND THE RESOLUTION UNACCEPTABLE AND WAS BOUND TO REACT TO ITS ADOPTION.
2.
IN ANSWER TO MY QUESTIOIN, MEI SAID THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT MIGHT NOT ISSUE A PUBLIC PROTEST, THOUGH THIS POSSIBILITY WAS BEING HELD IN RESERVE. BUT THE CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO THE EC HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO APPROACH SIR HENRY PLUMB, PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENT, TO STATE THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION. THE AMBASSADOR MIGHT TRAVEL TO STRASBOURG. IF HE COULD NOT FIND TIME TO DO THIS, HE WOULD WRITE TO PLUMB.
3. JIANG ENZHU, MEI'S DEPUTY, SAID THAT THE ADOPTION OF THE RESOLUTION COULD HARM RELATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND EC MEMBER STATES. THE HEAD OF CHANCERY AND I THEN EXPLAINED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS AND BETWEEN IT AND GOVERNMENTS. MEI COMMENTED THAT IF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS REACTED TO THE PARLIAMENT'S RESOLUTION WHICH HE NOTED WAS TO BE PRESENTED TO THEM HE ASSUMED AND HOPED THEY WOULD DO SO IN A
NEGATIVE SENSE.
-
4. MEI ENDED BY EXPRESSING THE HOPE THAT THE PARLIAMENT WOULD NOT INVITE THE DALAI LAMA TO VISIT IT. NOT KNOWING ABOUT HOW MATTERS STOOD OVER THIS, I DID NOT RESPOND.
EVANS
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