PM/82/91
SECRET
NED
ни
HK Section 40
cc PS
PS/Mrland
PS/Lord Belstead,
PS/PUS
Mr. Wright,
PA.
H2018
нак 166
166/1
FED
Mr. Donald,
34
набо
TRED
PRIME MINISTER
1.
Guangdong Nuclear Power Station
See (41) ↑ Af29/2
In my minute of 28 July I informed you that having
considered the case for British involvement in this proposed
project, I concluded that the economic and political advantages
of co-operation with the PRC out-weighed the possible consequences
for our non-proliferation policies.
See49
2. However, you should be aware that there are now signs that
our view may not be shared by the US Government, with possible
consequences for the proposed UK/US bid for the Guangdong project.
This bid emerged from recent discussions with the Chinese as
more promising and as offering potentially greater rewards for
British industry than the alternative UK/French proposal, but
it has still not yet received the necessary clearance from the
US Government. Earlier this year, on advice from US Government
officials and Westinghouse that such clearance was required, our
Embassy in Washington wrote to the State Department seeking an
assurance that the US Government would not seek to prevent
Westinghouse licensing the NNC to supply nuclear reactor equipment
of Westinghouse design for Guangdong. No definitive reply has
been received to this request despite unremitting pressure from
officials of the Department of Industry, Department of Energy
and my own: Department.
3. One reason which the Americans have recently put forward
for the delay is the belief, which in our view is not well-founded,
that the Chinese are aiding Pakistan's clandestine nuclear
weapons programme. This problem is to be reviewed urgently by
SECRET
/ US and