CONFIDENTIAL
TOP COPY
42
HKD 243/8
020643
Q DIST DLIAN 9896
CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 1175
OF 040824Z JULY 88
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, WASHINGTON, HANOI
see (462
462
433
YOUR TELNO 1759 TO HONG KONG: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE: COAST HOPPING
TO SOUTH CHINA
1.
SINCE MY ARRIVAL IN CHINA ON 14 MAY, I HAVE HEARD OUR CONCERNS PUT TO THE FOREIGN MINISTER AND ZHOU NAN ON THREE SEPARATE
OCCASIONS, IN ADDITION TO YOUR OWN CONVERSATION WITH QIAN AND
UNSSOD. THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN MISS BAILES AND WANG JIAJI MAKES
FIVE APPROACHES IN ALL. THERE IS JUST A RISK OF OVERDOING IT.
2=
I AM THEREFORE NOT TOO HAPPY ABOUT PUTTING THE MFA ON NOTICE
THAT WE LIKE TO HEAR WITHIN 7 TO 10 DAYS AN ACCOUNT OF WHAT IS BEING
DONE ON THE SOUTH COAST OF CHINA. THE MINISTER AND VICE MINISTER
COULD DO NO LESS THAN TELL LORD GLENARTHUR THAT THEY WOULD LOOK INTO
THE MATTER AND SEE WHAT COULD BE DONE. THEY WENT TO FURTHER.
·
3. OBVIOUSLY WE SHALL HERE KEEP REMINDING THE MFA INFORMALLY AND ON ALL APPROPRIATE OCCASIONS OF OUR DEEP WORRIES OVER THE FLOW OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES BUT ONLY GO INTO BAT FORMALLY WHEN WE GET FROM
HONG KONG A GOOD PICTURE OF THE CURRENT ATTITUDE OF THE LOCAL CHINESE AUTHORITIES. WE HAVE, AFTER ALL, TOLD THE MFA THAT WE WERE WILLING TO PROVIDE OUR OWN INFORMATION AND ASSESSMENTS IF THAT WOULD
CLARIFY THE POSITION FOR THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. I HOPE TO CALL
SOON ON JIANG EN-ZHU AND COULD TACKLE HIM QUITE NATURALLY ABOUT THE FOLLOW-UP TO THE GLENARTHUR TALKS, INCLUDING THE PROBLEM OF THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE. DO YOU AGREE ?
DONALD
YYYY