CONFIDENTIAL
05.
26
MDHIAN
11
WANG SAID THAT THE SITUATION HAD
IMPROVED CONSIDERABLY AND THANKED
LORD YOUNG FOR HIS PART IN THIS. ON THE
LATTER HE MENTIONED HIS DISCUSSIONS WITH THE FRENCH AND THE
IMPORTANCE OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT. HE RECOGNISED THAT SOFT LOANS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR NUCLEAR POWER STATIONS BUT HE HOPED
THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD FIND SOME WAY OF PROVIDING HELP. HE EXPRESSED APPRECIATION THAT LORD YOUNG HAD FOUND A MEANS TO SEE HIM AT A TIME OF SOME DELICACY IN ANGLO/CHINESE RELATIONS. LORD YOUNG SPOKE OF THE STORMS THROUGH WHICH THESE
RELATIONS WERE CURRENTLY PASSING AND EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT NORMAL RELATIONS WOULD BE RESTORED.
5 WANG, DAVIDSON AND STONES ARE PLEASED WITH THE WAY IT ALL WENT. IF NEWS OF THE LORD YOUNG/WANG ENCOUNTER LEAKS OUT, WE WILL TAKE THE LINE THAT IT WAS ENTIRELY ACCIDENTAL AND THAT
NO FORMAL MEETING TOOK PLACE. MEANWHILE KNOWLEDGE OF THE
MEETING SHOULD BE CONFINED TO AS SMALL AS CIRCLE AS POSSIBLE
AND NO REFERENCE MADE TO IT IN ANY DISCUSSIONS WITH THE
CHINESE OR FRENCH.
6
COMMENT. THIS WAS A DIFFICULT SITUATION TO HANDLE. WE
HAD TO AVOID SUGGESTING TO THE CHINESE THAT EVERYTHING WAS
NORMAL. WE HAD ALSO TO PROTECT LORD YOUNG FROM PRESS AND
OTHER CRITICISM YET AVOID INSULTING AN IMPORTANT CHINESE CUSTOMER. PROVIDED WANG DOES NOT TRUMPET THE FACT OF THE MEETING OR THE PRESS UNEARTH IT, WE MAY HAVE PULLED IT OFF. TIME WILL TELL.
YYYY
MAIN
8
DISTRIBUTION
8
NO DISTRIBUTION
HKD
COMED
PS/SOS, DTI VIC ST
MR DELL, DTI VIC ST
MR ADAMS, PEP, DTI VIC ST MR GOODMAN, EM4, DTI VIC ST MR MCCLAREN, FCO
MR SEATON, FCO
N N N N
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