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FM TOKYO
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 009
OF 070828Z JANUARY 91
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5044
7 JAN 1992 MDHIAN 8144
•Support JAPAN
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قليل
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON, ACTOR, RANGOON, SEOUL INFO ROUTINE UKMIS NEW YORK, CANBERRA, BANGKOK
N%
YOUR TELS NOS 800-1 OF 1991 (NOT TO ALL): VISIT BY JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER TO PEKING, 3-6 JANUARY
SUMMARY
1.
THE JAPANESE BELIEVE THIS VISIT HELPED TO CONSOLIDATE THEIR IMPROVED RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA. SOME PLAIN-SPEAKING BY WATANABE ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY IN CHINA. HE ALSO EXPRESSED JAPAN'S INTEREST AND SUPPORT FOR A DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM IN HONG KONG. LONG DISCUSSION OF US/CHINA RELATIONS, ON WHICH THE JAPANESE ARE TRYING TO USE THEIR GOOD OFFICES.
DETAIL
2. TARUI, DIRECTOR OF MFA CHINA DIVISION, WHO ACCOMPANIED WATANABE, BRIEFED US ON 7 JANUARY ON THE VISIT. HE WAS PLEASED THAT WATANABE HAD BEEN ABLE TO SEE TOP CHINESE LEADERS INCLUDING LI PENG AND JIANG ZEMIN EVEN OVER A WEEKEND, AND THOUGHT THAT WATANABE'S PLAIN-SPEAKING APPROACH HAD GONE DOWN WELL. THE CHINESE KNEW THAT WATANABE WAS A POLITICAL HEAVYWEIGHT IN JAPAN AND ALTHOUGH THE EXCHANGES HAD SOMETIMES BEEN VEHEMENT, THE TWO SIDES HAD BEEN ABLE TO REAFFIRM THAT THEY WANTED TO DEVELOP A FORWARD-LOOKING RELATIONSHIP AND THAT THEY WANTED TO WORK TOGETHER
TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE WORLD.
3.
THIS YEAR MARKS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS AND WATANABE'S HAD BEEN THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF HIGH-LEVEL CONTACTS. IT WAS AGREED THAT JIANG ZEMIN SHOULD VISIT JAPAN IN THE FIRST HALF OF 1992, AND WAN LI VISIT DURING THE YEAR AT THE INVITATION OF THE DIET. THE JAPANESE PRESS HAS ALSO REPORTED AGREEMENT THAT THE EMPEROR WOULD PAY A STATE VISIT TO CHINA IN THE AUTUMN, BUT TARUI SAID THAT THIS WAS PREMATURE: WATANABE AGREED ONLY TO GIVE IT SERIOUS CONSIDERATION. (COMMENT: WE HAVE HEARD SEPARATELY THAT INTERNAL JAPANESE THINKING IS
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