CONFIDENTIAL
051615
MDLIAN 2686:
6. CHEN COMMENTED THAT THE BASIS FOR OUR DISCUSSIONS WAS TO TWO IAEA CONVENTIONS ON EARLY NOTIFICATION AND MUTUAL ASSISTANCE. CHINA UNDERSTOOD HONG KONG'S CONCERNS AND WAS PREPARED TO GIVE FAVOURABLE CONSIDERATION ON SOME OF OUR REQUESTS. BUT OUR REQUEST FOR ON LINE INFORMATION ON ENGINEERING CONDITIONS WAS IN HIS VIEW UNNECESSARY AND WENT BEYOND THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CONVENTIONS. ANALYSED REPORTS WERE OF MORE VALUE THAN RAW DATA THAT HONG KONG WAS LIKELY TO HAVE DIFFICULTY IN ANALYSING.
7.
IN RESPONSE TO THESE POINTS, MR C K HO SAID THAT CHINA HAD TO CONSIDER THE SPECIAL SITUATION OF THE 6 MILLION PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND THEIR NEED FOR REASSURANCE ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE GNPS. FURTHERMORE THE CHINA LIGHT AND POWER, HONG KONG NUCLEAR INVESTMENT COMPANY (HKNIC) AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD OBLIGATIONS IN THIS REGARD. HO WENT ON TO EXPLAIN HIS PROPOSALS FOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN GNPJVC AND HKNIC.
8.
CHEN WAS SUPPORTIVE OF HO'S PROPOSALS AND TOLD HIM TO DISCUSS WITH ZAN YUNG LONG THE GENERAL MANAGER OF GNPJVC. HO WAS ASKED TO LET CHEN KNOW IF THERE WERE ANY PROBLEMS IN THIS REGARD. CHEN ADDED THAT GOOD COMPANY TO COMPANY RELATIONSHIPS AND COMMUNICATIONS HAD BEEN DEVELOPED OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS AND THAT THESE SHOULD CONTINUE, BUT COMPANY TO COMPANY AND GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNMENT RELATIONSHIPS SHOULD BE KEPT SEPARATE.
SUGGESTED LINE TO TAKE
9. WHILST IT WOULD BE IN ORDER TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR AWARENESS OF THE FACT THAT HO HAD MET CHEN, IT MIGHT COMPROMISE HO'S POSITION IF REFERENCE WAS MADE TO THE CONTENT OF THAT MEETING WHEN THE AMBASSADOR MEETS CHEN. FURTHERMORE IT WOULD BE BETTER TO DRAW OUT FROM HIM AS MUCH DIRECT INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE.
10.
BUT AS AND WHEN APPROPRIATE IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO :
A) ACKNOWLEDGE HIS CONCERN AND THE USEFUL WORK THAT HE HAS BEEN DOING TO CO-ORDINATE THE CHINESE RESPONSE TO OUR PROPOSALS:
B) EXPRESS THE WISH THAT HE REMAINS CLOSELY INVOLVED TO ENSURE THE SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION ON OUR TALKS:
C)
EXPLAIN THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR THE AMBIT OF THE MARCH TALKS TO BE WIDENED TO INCLUDE ALL OF OUR CONCERNS, RATHER THAN WAIT UNTIL A SUBSEQUENT MEETING, BECAUSE THE ISSUES WERE INTERLINKED WITH EACH OTHER:
PAGE CONFIDENTIAL
2