TNAG-0333-FCO40-369-Visits-of-Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-Af-1972 — Page 3

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TOIMMEDIATE F C O TELNO 1317 OF 2 NOVEMBER, 1972, INFO PRIORITY

PEKING.

FOLLOWING FOR NEWS DEPARTMENT FROM LEAHY.

SECRETARY OF STATE'S PRESS CONFERENCE IN PEKING.

1. MY TELEGRAM FROM PEKING REFERS.

AFTER THE OPENING STATEMENT HAD BEEN DISTRIBUTED THE SECRETARY OF STATE MADE A BRIEF ORAL STATEMENT WHICH INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING:

".... I SHOULD SAY THAT IN EVERY RESPECT THIS HAS BEEN AN

EXTREMELY GOOD VISIT AND IT HAS GONE OFF EVEN BETTER THAN I EXPECTED. THE WARMTH OF OUR WELCOME HAS BEEN MATCHED BY THE DEPTH AND FREEDOM OF OUR DISCUSSIONS.

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THE ICE IN OUR RELATIONS HAD BEEN BROKEN BEFORE I CAME. BUT NOW I FEEL THAT THE WATER IS BEGINNING TO WARM UP AND WE ARE ABLE TO SWIM IN IT...''

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THE SECRETARY OF STATE THEN ANSWERED QUESTIONS.

CONSULAR

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2. QUESTIONED AS TO WHETHER THERE WAS ANY GOOD NEWS FOR THE

RELATIVES OF THE THREE DETAINED BRITONS IN CHINA, THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAID :: "WE TALKED ABOUT THIS MATTER AND ALSO ABOUT PEOPLE

IMPRISONED IN HONG KONG. WE ARE BOTH CONSIDERING THE MATTER AS SYMPATHETICALLY AS WE CAN. I MYSELF RAISED THE QUESTION OF THE

THREE BRITISH PRISONERS HERE WITH THE FOREIGN MINISTER SIR D

GREENHILL ALSO MENTIONED IT IN HIS SEPARATE TALKS WITH MR CHANG

WEN-CHIN. THE CHINESE CONFIRMED THAT THEY ARE CONSIDERING THESE CASES AND I HOPE THAT WITH THE IMPROVEMENT IN OUR RELATIONS, MATTERS OF THIS KIND CAN BE RESOLVED.”’

CULTURAL EXCHANGES

3. ASKED ABOUT ARRANGEMENTS FOR BRITISH STUDENTS TO STUDY IN CHINA, THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAID :

"WE HAVE PUT FORWARD A NUMBER OF PROPOSALS WHICH COULD HELP

BRITISH STUDENTS TO STUDY IN CHINA. THE CHINESE GOVT WILL LOOK AT

/THESE