TNAG-0568-FCO40-701-Planning-paper-on-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 150

3. THE SECTION OF "CHINA IN THE WORLD' IS OVER - COMPRESSED,

IT DOES NOT BRING OUT CLEARLY ENOUGH THAT CHINA

IS A GROWING NUCLEAR POWER WITH THE CAPABILITY OF

LAUNCHING AND RECOVERING ITS OWN SATELLITES

WHICH WILL NOT BE SATISFIED UNTIL IT HAS DEVELOPED

A CREDIBLE STRATEGIC DEFENCE AGAINST THE RUSSIANS.

THIS IS VERY RELEVANT TO HER ATTITUDES TOWARDS NON-

PROLIFERATION AND DIS-ARMAMENT, AND TO HER IMPORTANCE

IN THE EYES OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE JAPANESE.

NOR DOES THE PAPER DO JUSTICE TO THE IMPORTANCE OF

CHINA TO THE AMERICANS (''THERE IS NO RELATIONSHIP OF GREATER IMPORTANCE TO THE UNITED STATES'.

DR KISSINGER). THERE IS INSUFFICIENT REFERENCE

TO THE FASCINATION OF CHINA TO THE THIRD WORLD.

(1 SUGGEST THAT THE SECOND HALF OF PARAGRAPH 5

SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO TAKE MORE ACCOUNT OF THE POINTS MADE

IN PARAGRAPHS 4 TO 7 OF MY DESPATCH NO 3/25 OF 18 JULY LAST YEAR). I DISAGREE WITH THE CONCLUSIONS ON THE

CULTURAL REVOLUTION AND SINO-SOVIET SPLIT IN PARA 4

(I BUGGEST THE PARA BE OMITTED).

4. THERE SHOULD BE A SEPARATE PARAGRAPH ON CHINA

ARD EUROPE. IT SHOULD BRING OUT THAT THE CHINESE

SUPPORT EUROPEAN UNITY AND THE NATO ALLIANCE

BECAUSE THEY CONSTITUTE A BUFFER TO SOVIET AMBITIONS.

CHINA HAS AN INTEREST IN EUROPE AS A SOURCE OF HIGH

TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIAL GOODS. BUT THE PRIME INTEREST

IS NOT IN THE ECONOMIC INTEGRATION OF EUROPE:

17 IS IN ITS POLITICAL AND MILITARY COHESION.

THE CHINESE RECOGNISE THE PRESENT NEED FOR NATO BUT

HOPE THAT INCREASING DEFENCE AND POLITICAL COOPERATION

AMONG THE EUROPEANS WILL GIVE THEM A CORRESPONDINGLY

INCREASING DEGREE OF INDEPENDENT VOICE IN THEIR

RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES. (THIS COULD

COME BETWEEN ''CHINA IN THE WORLD' AND "BRITAIN AND

CHINA'')

5. THE SECTION ON HONG KONG DOES NOT MENTION THAT

OUR INTERESTS IN THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF CHINA ARISES

PARTLY FROM THE RISK THAT INSTABILITY COULD SPILL OVER

INTO HONG KONG, AS IT DID IN 1967, WITH ALL THE

DIFFICULTY THAT THAT ENTAILED IN THE ADMINISTRATION

OF THE COLONY AND OUR RELATIONS WITH CHINA ITSELF.

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