CONFIDENTIAL
Mr Quitney
PA MEN
118
020747
MDTTAN 4039
CONFIDENTIAL
FM WASHINGTON
TO TELELETTER FCO
TELELETTER NFR
OF 012334Z NOVEMBER 93
HUB 091/1
.8 001 1993
INFO TELELETTER PEKING, HONG KONG, BTCO TAIPEI, PARIS, BONN
FROM T R V PHILLIPS ESQ, WASHINGTON
TO LAURENCE BRISTOW-SMITH ESQ, FED, FCO
CC:
RF WYE ESQ, RAD, FCO
MS ANNADELE BOUCH, HKD, FCO
CHANCERIES: PEKING, HONG KONG, PARIS, BONN
MFN RENEWAL
·
1 WHEN I CALLED ON PETER TOMSEN (PRINCIPAL DAS, BUREAU OF EAST ASIAN AND PACIFIC AFFAIRS, STATE) ON 1 NOVEMBER, PART OF THE CONVERSATION WAS ABOUT MFN RENEWAL. MUCH OF THE GROUND HAD BEEN COVERED IN SHATTUCK'S BRIEFING THE PREVIOUS WEEK (MY TELELETTER OF 29 OCTOBER, NOT TO BONN AND PARIS). TOMSEN CONFIRMED THE U.S VIEW THAT THE CHINESE HAD DONE NOTHING TO DATE TO SATISFY THE CONDITIONS
REQUIRED FOR MEN RENEWAL. THE LATEST CRACKDOWN IN TIBET WAS CERTAINLY NOT HELPFUL. BUT TOMSEN REMAINED HOPEFUL THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY THE CHINESE WOULD MOVE IN THE REQUIRED DIRECTION. THEIR STRATEGY WAS TO WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE, AND THEN TO GIVE AS LITTLE AS THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD GET AWAY WITH. TOMSEN WOULD NOT BE DRAWN ON QUITE WHEN THE QUOTE LAST MINUTE UNQUOTE WOULD COME, IN U.S POLITICAL TERMS, BUT OBVIOUSLY THE SOONER THE ADMINISTRATION HAD ANYTHING POSITIVE TO TELL CONGRESS, THE BETTER.
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2. THE GOAL AT THE MOMENT WAS TO KEEP ON MAKING IT CLEAR TO THE CHINESE HOW MUCH IMPORTANCE THE AMERICANS ATTACH TO THE MFN RENEWAL QUESTION, AND THAT IF THIS HAD TO BE DECIDED ON NOW, THE CHINESE WOULD NOT HAVE DONE ENOUGH. TOMSEN SAID IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF OTHERS COULD TAKE SUCH OPPORTUNITIES AS AROSE TO GET THE SAME MESSAGE OVER TO THE CHINESE. HE ACCEPTED THAT OUR POSITION WAS COMPLICATED, GIVEN THE HONG KONG ANGLE. BUT STATEMENTS FROM EG. THE GERMANS OR THE FRENCH WOULD BE HELPFUL. AT THE SAME TIME, TOMSEN SPOKE DAMNINGLY OF THE GERMANS: KOHL'S NOVEMBER VISIT WAS A SALES EXPEDITION. TOMSEN ALSO SAID THE FRENCH HAD BEEN QUICK TO MOVE INTO THE COMMERCIAL BREACH LEFT BY U.S BUSINESS FOLLOWING THE IMPOSITION OF CATEGORY II SANCTIONS OVER M-11 RELATED TRANSFERS TO
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