CONFIDENTIAL
16611
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
29 !^N 1993
ESED
have been consul11144 MDLIAN 0571
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
DESK OFFICER
REGISTRY
TELNO 129
INDEX
PA
Action Teken
OF 29080OZ
JANUARY 93
AND TO PRIORITY PEKING
TOP COPY Q DIST?
INFO PRIORITY UKREP JLG HONG KONG, UKMIS VIENNA
GUANGDONG NUCLEAR POWER STATION AT DAYA BAY.
1. FURTHER TO OUR TELNO 124.
2. WE SUGGEST THAT, IN ADDITION TO THE EMBASSY IN PEKING RAISING OUR CONCERNS WITH THE HKMAO, THE UK MISSION TO THE UNITED NATION'S INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY IN VIENNA MIGHT ALSO APPROACH THEIR CHINESE COUNTERPARTS. WE CONSIDER THAT THIS COULD BE HELPFUL SINCE DIFFERENCES IN THE INTERPRETATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE IAEA'S CONVENTION ON EARLY NOTIFICATION OF A NUCLEAR ACCIDENT AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ARE ONE OF OUR MAJOR CAUSES FOR CONCERN. THE UK MISSION HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN INVOLVED IN LOBBYING THE CHINESE ON OUR BEHALF PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF OUR CROSS-BORDER TALKS IN JUNE 1992.
3. WE SUGGEST THAT, IN PRESENTING THE SPEAKING NOTE FORWARDED WITH TELNO 124, THE KEY POINTS TO STRESS TO THE CHINESE SIDE, IN BOTH PEKING AND VIENNA, ARE THAT:
(A) HONG KONG LIES WITHIN THE 50 KILOMETRE RADIUS EMERGENCY PLANNING ZONE DEFINED BY CHINA FOR THE GUANGDONG NUCLEAR POWER STATION. HENCE HONG KONG HAS MANY OF THE SAME CONCERNS AND REQUIREMENTS AS THE SURROUNDING PARTS OF GUANGDONG PROVINCE:
(B) WE OBTAIN 75 PERCENT OF OUR WATER, 34 PERCENT OF OUR FRESH FOODSTUFFS, 84 PERCENT OF OUR LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY, AND 49 PERCENT OF OUR MILK FROM CHINA:
(C) IT IS ESSENTIAL AND CONSISTENT WITH THE IAEA'S CONVENTION THAT HONG KONG IS GIVEN FULL AND IMMEDIATE INFORMATION ON ALL STANDBY/PLANT/ON-SIGHT AND OFF-SITE EMERGENCIES, ALL INCIDENTS THAT FALL WITHIN THE 0-7 INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR EVENT SCALE, AND ALL OTHER UNUSUAL INCIDENTS THAT MAY GIVE RISE TO PUBLIC CONCERN. WITHOUT SUCH WARNING, IT WOULD BE TOO LATE FOR HONG KONG TO IMPLEMENT COUNTER MEASURES TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC AND TO ALLAY
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