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136272 MDLIAN 4836
9.
The economic lure of China is proving too strong for the French. German success there has accentuated their feeling that they need to normalise Sino/French relations as quickly as possible (although they are privately disparaging about what the Chinese gave Kohl, pointing, for instance, to the heavy German financing required for the Canton metro contract). But the Chinese appear in no hurry and may still hope that they can block the sale of arms for the frigates.
10. Against this background the French are not going to help us much in our efforts to reverse the collapse of the EU consensus measures against China. On the other hand, given their relations with the Chinese, they would not be graced with a visit by Jiang Zemin, so they might see some advantage in discreetly lending us a hand in trying to impose some constraining discipline on the Twelve.
MALLABY
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
122
DISTRIBUTION
134
.CHINA POLITICAL
FED
LEGAL ADVISERS
PUSD
INFO D//BRIEFWRITERS
CONSULAR D
CRD
EASD/ODA//MR MOSSELMANS
EASD/ODA//MR MCCLEAN
ECD (E)
ECONOMIC ADVISERS
CFSP UNIT
ERD
HKD
HRPD
JOINT DIRECTORATE
NEWS D
PLANNERS
WED
PS
PS/BARONESS CHALKER
PS/MR GOODLAD
PS/MR HEATHCOAT-AMORY PS/PUS
MR LANKESTER MR APPLEYARD CHIEF CLERK SIR J COLES MR AINSCOW
MR ALSTON
SIR M BURTON
MR GREENSTOCK
MR HUM
MR BONE
MR KERBY
MR MASEFIELD
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