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MDHIAN 0277
SENATE AND THE HOUSE. ANOTHER.
ALMOST EVERYONE SEEMS TO HAVE ONE GRIPE OR
11.
CLEARLY WITH THIS BACKGROUND WE ARE GOING TO HAVE SOME DIFFICULTIES HANDLING A US SHIFT IN POLICY. BUT I WAS ENCOURAGED BY THE FEELING THAT NEITHER THE WHITE HOUSE NOR CONGRESS WISHES TO CONFRONT EACH OTHER ON THE ISSUE. WE MUST HOPE THAT THE US POSITION WHICH EVENTUALLY EMERGES
IS SUFFICIENTLY MODEST NOT TO DO
HONG KONG ANY SERIOUS DAMAGE AND THAT ITS MODERATION CAN BE ASCRIBED IN PART TO OUR LOBBYING. IT MAY WELL BE THAT RECOGNITION FOR OUR LOBBYING WILL COME SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. REPRESENTATIVES PELOSI AND PORTER, WHO HAVE BEEN CLOSELY INVOLVED IN PREPARING DRAFT LEGISLATION ON MFN, BOTH SAID THAT THEY WOULD BE HAPPY TO DROP REFERENCES IN THEIR HOUSE BILL TO HONG KONG AND THE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION, HAVING HEARD ME SAY IN TERMS THAT SUCH A CONDITION WOULD BE UNHELPFUL. THEY ADDED THAT THEY WOULD BE HAPPY TO SAY PUBLICLY THAT THEY HAD MADE THIS DECISION ON OUR RECOMMENDATION.
12.
PERHAPS INEVITABLY, THERE WAS GREAT INTEREST FROM THOSE I MET IN OUR POLITICAL ROW WITH CHINA. I STRESSED THAT THE ARGUMENT WAS NOT ABOUT A HUGE STEP FORWARD IN DEMOCRACY BUT ABOUT SECURING CLEAR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1994/95 ELECTIONS AND CLEAR CRITERIA BY WHICH TO DECIDE WHETHER PEOPLE ELECTED IN 1995 WOULD TRAVEL THROUGH TO
1999.
13. BUSINESS UNEASE HAS TOUCHED ONE OR TWO LEGISLATORS' IN-TRAYS: AND ONE OR TWO OF THE CHINA WATCHERS TO WHOM I SPOKE IN MY THINK TANK MEETINGS WERE ALSO A LITTLE SCEPTICAL ABOUT OUR POSITION ON CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS. THAT APART, THERE WAS ALMOST UNIVERSAL SUPPORT AND PREDICTABLY THIS WAS PARTICULARLY STRONG IN THE POLITICAL COMMUNITY. THIS WILL NOT OF COURSE ENDEAR US TO THE CHINESE WHO WILL NO DOUBT CONTINUE TO CRITICISE ME FOR INTERNATIONALISING.
BUT PRC COMMENTS TO DATE ON THE VISIT HAVE BEEN FAIRLY MUTED. I DO NOT SENSE THEY WISH TO USE IT AS A TOOL TO MAKE DIFFICULTIES AT OUR NEXT ROUND OF TALKS. AND, IN A WIDER SENSE, THE CONFIRMATION THAT THE US IS INTERESTED, SUPPORTIVE AND WATCHING EVENTS CLOSELY IS BOUND TO HAVE SOME CONSTRAINING EFFECT
ON THEIR ACTIONS.
14.
A FEW PERSONAL REFLECTIONS. FIRST, THE PRESIDENT CAME ACROSS AS HUGELY GENIAL, INTELLIGENT AND ARTICULATE. I WAS STRUCK, THOUGH, BY THE AMOUNT OF CRITICISM OF HIM CONVEYED, MUCH MORE IN SORROW THAN IN ANGER, BY SOME OF THE OLD SALTS IN CONGRESS LIKE
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