a)
CONFIDENTIAL
HKB 020/2
021174 MDLOAN 7476
RECEIVED IN RECUSTRY
1 1 JUL 1990
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO PRIORITY TOKYO
TELNO 366
OF 08172OZ JUNE 90
INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON, OTTAWA, PARIS, BONN, ROME
INFO PRIORITY UKREP BRUSSELS, PEKING, HONG KONG, JLG HONG KONG INFO ROUTINE OTHER EC POSTS
CHINA POST TIANANMEN MEASURES
:
1. HASHIMOTO (MINISTER, JAPANESE EMBASSY) GAVE MCLAREN ON 7 JUNE A PAPER ARGUING THAT THE TIME HAD COME TO CONSIDER RELAXATION OF THE MEASURES TAKEN BY THE G7 COUNTRIES POST TIANANMEN. THE JAPANESE ARE DISTRIBUTING COPIES TO OTHER G7 PARTNERS ON A SIMILAR QUOTE STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL UNQUOTE BASIS. (COPIES BY CONFIDENTIAL FAX TO THOSE G7 POSTS WITH THIS FACILITY, AND TO PEKING AND HONG KONG : COPIES BY BAG TO ROME AND OTTAWA. WE SUGGEST TOKYO OBTAIN A COPY FROM MFA).
2. THE JAPANESE PROPOSALS ARE ON THE LINES OF THOSE AIRED BY KURIYAMA (VICE MINISTER, MFA) TO EC AMBASSADORS IN TOKYO ON 30 MAY (SIR J WHITEHEAD'S MINUTE OF 31 MAY, NOT TO ALL).
3. THE JAPANESE VIEW OF THE NEED TO BEGIN RELAXING MEASURES AGAINST CHINA SEEMS TO BE VERY CLOSE TO THE LINE WHICH WE HAVE BEEN TAKING WITH EC PARTNERS (THOUGH THEIR PAPER STOPS
SHORT OF PROPOSING ANY SPECIFIC STEPS). WE ARE COPYING TO TOKYO, WASHINGTON AND OTTAWA FCO TELNO 442 TO PEKING REPORTING DISCUSSION ON CHINA AT THE ASIA WORKING GROUP ON 31 MAY. IT WAS AGREED THAT OUR PROPOSALS FOR RELAXATION OF THE MADRID SUMMIT MEASURES SHOULD BE FURTHER DISCUSSED BY EPC POLITICAL DIRECTORS ON 12/13 JUNE. SINCE KURIYAMA HAS DISCUSSED THE SUBJECT WITH EC AMBASSADORS, IT WOULD BE RIGHT FOR THE 12 TO TAKE ACCOUNT AT THAT MEETING OF JAPANESE VIEWS (THOUGH THIS PAPER ITSELF CLEARLY CANNOT BE REFERRED TO). THERE IS SOME AWKWARDNESS IN HANDLING THIS ISSUE SINCE IT CONCERNS BOTH THE EC AND THE G7. THE MEASURES ADOPTED BY THE MADRID EUROPEAN COUNCIL LAST YEAR WERE IN SUBSTANCE ECHOED BY THE PARIS SUMMIT. IN SEEKING A WAY FORWARD NOW, THE 12 WILL NEED TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF LIKELY JAPANESE (AND US AND CANADIAN) VIEWS WHICH MAY EMERGE IN RELATION TO THE HOUSTON ECONOMIC SUMMIT.