TNAG-0447-FCO40-512-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 15

CONTIDENTIAL

RECORD OF ANGLO-AMERICAN TALKS ON EAST ASIA,

HELD IN ROOM K196, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE, ON 10 AND 11 JUNE 1974

PART I: CHINA

Present:

Mr K M Wilford

RECEIVED REGISTRY No.52

- 4 JUL 1974

Mr R S Ingersoll

1.0.

1

477

Mr E Youde

Mr P JE Male

Mr R M Evans

Mr R C Samuel

Mr D C Wilson

PKK 4

4/1

Mr A Hummel

Mr E Dillery

Mr W G Ehrman

1. Mr Evans said that the degree of intensity of the campaign against Confucius and Lin Piao now seemed to be lower than three or four months ago. The campaign appeared to have three main purposes: the eradication of Lin Piao's policies and supporters; the preservation of some of the fruits of the Cultural Revolution (examples being the selection of politically correct students for higher education, the policy of rusticating educated youths, and the use of art and the theatre for ideological education); and the prevention of general relaxation. We did not think that there was a rift between Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai or a serious threat to Chou's position. But because of Chou's declining health, Teng Hsiao-p'ing was shouldering some of Chou's workload. had seemed to be threatened. There had been a considerable number of attacks on provincial leaders. Mr Heath had seen evidence of one such during his visit to Kunming. Two additional features of the situation were a greater resistance to cultural penetration (evidenced by the attacks on Western music) and a heightened sensitivity to Western criticism of China (evidenced by the press campaign against Antonioni and representations to Western governments not to screen the film).

2.

Li Teh-sheng

The Chinese had assured Western governments that the campaign would not affect China's relations with friendly countries. But the campaign had coincided with a change in China's formal view of the world. A new division of the world into the super powers, the developed countries, and the Third World (including China) had replaced the previous division into the socialist states, "United States imperialism", and the two intermediate zones of the Afro- Asian-Latin American countries and the developed countries of the West plus Japan. The demise of the socialist camp had been signalled at the Special Session of the UN General Assembly. Soviet relations seemed to be as bad as they had ever been. handling of the helicopter and Ussuri incidents were evidence.

Sino- The

to

3. We had three principal interests in relation to China; bring China into the mainstream of international life; to expand our trade; and to maximise Hong Kong's security. Our bilateral

/relations

- 1 CONFIDENTIAL

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