SECRET
FM PEKING
TO DESKBY 05090OZ FCO
TELNO 1678
OF 050744Z OCTOBER 1987
INFO DESKBY 05083OZ HONG KONG
SECRET
HKC 166/30
RECEIVED IN REIN
-8 OCT198700 401
DESK OFMCOR
INDEX
VECISTRY
PA
| Action Taken
112
144770
MDHIAN 6004
FOLLOWING FOR HUM, HONG KONG DEPT HONG KONG PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR
(104)
109
102
708
YOUR TELNOS 2596 AND 2619 TO HONG KONG, HONG KONG TELNOS 3667, 3711 AND 3726 AND MY TELNO 1667, DAYA BAY NUCLEAR POWER STATIONS
1.
110,
106
COMMERCIAL COUNSELLOR (CC) AND HARDING CALLED ON MME LIU
XUEHONG, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, FOREIGN AFFAIRS BUREAU, IN MINISTRY OF NUCLEAR INDUSTRY (MNI) ON 4 OCTOBER. WANG LANGKUI AND GUO TIANMING, BOTH ENGINEERS IN MNI'S NUCLEAR POWER BUREAU, AND CHEN CHANGHEN, ENGINEER IN MNI'S FAB, WERE ALSO PRESENT. CC SPOKE AS INSTRUCTED IN YOUR TELNO 2596 DRAWING ALSO ON MATERIAL IN OTHER TURS.
2. MME LIU THANKED CC FOR HIS REPORT WHICH SHE SAID SHOWED HMG'S
AND THE HONG KONG AUTHORITIES' GREAT CONCERN THAT THE PROJECT RAN SMOOTHLY. FOR THEIR PART, THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND THE NATIONAL NUCLEAR SAFETY ADMINISTRATION WERE ALSO VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE DAYA BAY PROJECT AND IN PARTICULAR ITS SAFETY ASPECTS, IN THE LIGHT OF CHINA'S PRINCIPLE OF SAFETY FIRST, QUALITY FIRST. MME LIU SAID THE PROBLEMS WITH THE UNIT 1 REACTOR RAFT WERE REGARDED AS QUOTE A
MISTAKE NOT AN ACCIDENT UNQUOTE. SHE ADDED THAT SHE UNDERSTOOD THAT IF THIS BECAME PUBLICLY KNOWN, IT COULD EASILY AFFECT PUBLIC OPINION IN HONG KONG AND LEAD TO QUOTE UNNECESSARY RESULTS UNQUOTE.
3. SHE HOPED THAT THE EDF DESIGN TEAM COULD ARRIVE AT A TECHNICAL SOLUTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE POINTS MADE BY CC WOULD BE REPORTED BY MNI TO THE GNPJVC'S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, OF WHICH MNI WAS A MEMBER.
4. CC STRESSED THAT PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE PROBLEM WAS INEVITABLE
AND PROBABLY SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. IT WAS THEREFORE BETTER TO
ISSUE A PRESS STATEMENT ASAP. IF IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE FOR SUCH A STATEMENT TO ISSUE BEFORE THE MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE GNPJVC ON 7 OCTOBER, THEN HE HOPED THAT CLEAR DECISIONS WOULD BE MADE AT THAT MEETING.
5. MME LIU SAID THAT CC'S EXPLANATION OF THE PROBLEMS HAD BEEN
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