TNAG-0742-FCO40-946-Relations-between-China-and-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 48

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as well.

CONFIDENTIAL

3.

Japan and increasingly with the United States

China is now seeking improved relations

with her South East Asian neighbours, apart from

Vietnam and Laos. Sino-Indian relations are

much improved and the Indian Foreign Minister is

expected to visit Peking in the autumn.

Soviet Union will be highly sensitive about the

strengthening of Sino/Western relations,

The

particularly because of its (not unreasonable)

fears of a strong and hostile China in, say,

twenty years' time. We must expect these fears

to have an effect on the general approach of the

Soviet leadership to foreign policy questions,

and perhaps to make them rather more difficult to

deal with; but this will happen whether or not the

West helps China to develop. The important

thing for the West, and more particularly for the

UK, in terms of our relations with the USSR, is

that we should be seen to be contributing to a

natural development in our relations with China

and not appear to be trying artificially to bring

it about or hurry it along. Provided this

condition is met, I would expect continuing Soviet

interest in détente to remain a restraining

factor on their behaviour. The West should

therefore develop its relationship with China

in an open and unpolemical way; should, so far

as possible, seek to act in concert; and should

avoid any sudden lurch which might trigger off

/a Soviet