IS
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN – SUPPLEMENT
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES BEACONSFIELD HOUSE, HONG KONG TEL 5-233191
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1983
SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ENERGY MEETS PRESS ****
THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE GIVEN BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ENERGY, MR PETER WALKER TODAY (NOVEMBER 10) IN THE GIS THEATRE. ALSO PRÉSENT WAS THE SENIOR BRITISH TRADE COMMISSIONER, MR CHRISTIAN ADAMS.
MR WALKER: WELL, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, CAN I FIRST OF ALL THANK YOU FOR COMING TO THIS PRESS CONFERENCE AND TO TELL YOU THAT OVER THE LAST WEEK EIGHT DAYS I HAVE CARRIED OUT A VISIT TO BOTH CHINA AND, OF COURSE, THE LAST TWO DAYS HERE IN HONG KONG. AND I THINK IT HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT VISIT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. I THINK THAT BRITAIN IS UNIQUELY SITUATED IN TERMS OF ENERGY TO BE OF CONSIDERABLE IMPORTANCE TO CHINA IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENERGY RESOURCES. WE HAVE THE UNIQUE EXPERIENCE OF THE NORTH SEA DEVELOPMENT WHICH, OF COURSE, IS BY FAR THE BIGGEST OFFSHORE DEVELOPMENT THAT HAS EVER TAKEN PLACE IN DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS SEAS. AND THAT HAS BEEN DONE RECENTLY, AND, OF COURSE, IS CONTINUING AND STILL GOING ON. AND THERE IS NOW A SITUATION WHERE THE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS IN OFFSHORE CHINA ARE AS BIG, IF NOT BIGGER, THAN THE DEVELOPMENTS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN THE NORTH SEAS OVER THIS PAST DECADE.
RECENTLY THE CHINESE MINISTER FOR PETROLEUM MR DENG KE CAME TO BRITAIN, VISITED MANY OF OUR INSTALLATIONS AND HAD TALKS WITH THE OIL INDUSTRY AND HAD TALKS IN DEPTH WITH MYSELF UPON THE PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENTS OF OFFSHORE OIL INDUSTRY. AND AS A RESULT OF THOSE TALKS HE URGED ME TO COME IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO SPEAK AND TALK TO HIM AND HIS COLLEAGUES IN CHINA AND TO CONTINUE OUR DISCUSSIONS AND PREPARATIONS TO SEE WHAT COULD BE DONE. AND OBVIOUSLY I WAS DELIGHTED TO ACCEPT THAT INVITATION AND HAD VERY GOOD TALKS IN CHINA ON THESE ISSUES. I HAD TALKS WITH THE VICE PREMIER, WITH THE STATE COUNCILLOR KANG XIAN PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR ENERGY CO-ORDINATION, WITH ALL OF THE MINISTERS CONNECTED WITH THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF ENERGY: PETROLEUM, THE COAL MINING, THE MACHINERY AND I ALSO HAD TALKS WITH THE LEADERS OF BOTH THE ECONOMIC AND PLANNING COMMISSIONS IN CHINA. AND CERTAINLY WE IDENTIFIED THAT THERE WAS A WIDE RANGE OF AREAS IN WHICH BRITAIN'S TECHNOLOGY AND EXPERTISE AND KNOW-HOW WOULD BE REQUIRED AND NEEDED. AND WE AGREED TO CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS AND PREPARATIONS AND TO STUDY METHODS HOW THAT CAN EFFECTIVELY BE
DONE,
/AS YOU