stories of 200-plus French technicians in
Beijing. But China went into economic retrenchment for foreign exchange shortage,
and negotiations broken off (Autumn 1979).
France thus had a strong motive to sell
nuclear station as first of China's new
programme, and had already expended
substantial resources only for negotiations
to be faulted for China's foreign exchange
deficiency.
Hong Kong: a growth rate of demand of
-
Main
their
14-18% per annum in power demand.
utility China Light and Power had
ordered predominantly UK equipment
total installed capacity at Castle Peak is 4 gigawatts, all coal-fuel fired.
But scope for new power station sites
limited: Hong Kong at that time concerned
to establish links with China against the
Treaty expiring in 1996. Negotiations on
the new Treaty in initial stages in 1978.
II 1979-1981
Germination of a proposal which allowed
Chinese to envisage acquisition of
Western PWR technology and to overcome the inherent foreign exchange difficulties.
4