TNAG-0529-FCO40-624-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 50

CODE 19-77

Mr. March -

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CALL ON CHINESE EMBASSY

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APIZ, Hong Kong the status que.

Chancery, Peking

(Counsellor))

I paid a courtesy call this morning on Mr. Chu Chi-yuan/at the Chinese Embassy.

1.

2.

After the usual courtesies, I remarked that my review of your files had not revealed any major problems between our two governments. Our bilateral relations seemed to me to be good. Mr. Chu concurred warmly. He said they were good and getting better. Moreover relations between the two Embassies and the Foreign Ministries in our respective capitals were particularly cordial. He indicated appreciation of Far Eastern Department's courtesy towards the Embassy He was sure that this would be reciprocated in Peking.

3. He referred in passing to "one or two minor problems about ion Kong". I asked him what he meant. He said that these were of an administrative rather than of political nature. He referred approvingly to Sir Murray Maclehose's article in The Times of 5 May. His government welcomed the prosperity and vitality of the Colony. The inevitable political problems were "for the future - not for this decade".

4.

I referred to Sir C. Soames' current visit and told him that T arranged to leave for Peking on 5 June in order to vote in the Referendum before departure. Mr. Chu confirmed that the Chinese supported moves to European unity and hoped that the UK would stay in They of course believe in the right of nations and peoples to sovereign independence; but also in their right to unity and solidarity with their neighbours. European unity was particularly valuable to the world because European disunity had precipitated two world wars.

5.

I asked him why Chinese spokesmen referred so often to the inevitability of war and the need to prepare for it. He said I must distinguish between three kinds of war. All peoples had a right to wage wars of liberation etc. War between the super powers was inevitable because their systems and hegemonies were conflicting, but this did not necessarily mean nuclear war. I commented that I more optimistic than him about the possibility of avoiding war; and less optimistic about the possibility of preventing a war between the super powers becoming nuclear.

6.

Wen

He mentioned Taiwan only in passing when reviewing his government's current priorities. It did not seem to be an immediate problem. I resisted the temptation to pursue this subject.

N.M. Fenn

7 May 1975

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CONFIDENTIAL

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