TNAG-0743-FCO40-947-Relations-between-China-and-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 177

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DISMANTLED AND THE US FORCES WITHDRAWN. ON SOUTH EAST ASIA HE SAID THAT CHINA SUPPORTED ASEAN AS A FACTOR FOR STABILITY. DR OWEN TRIED TO DRAW HUANG ON INDOCHINA AND VIETNAM, BUT HUANG TOOK THE STANDARD LINE THAT THE PROBLEM IN INDOCHINA WAS NOT SIMPLY A MATTER OF RELATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND VIETNAM AND VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA, BUT WAS IN ESSENCE THE EXPLOITATION BY THE SOVIET UNION OF EXPANSIONIST AMBITIONS WHICH VIETNAM HAD ALWAYS HAD,

12. BILATERAL RELATIONS HAD FEATURED ONLY BRIEFLY, NO AGREEMENT HAD BEEN SIGNED ALTHOUGH THERE HAD BEEN DISCUSSION OF A SCIENCE

AND TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT AND AN AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT. DR OWEN HAD ALSO REMINDED HUANG THAT THE UK WAS RELATIVELY OPEN TO CHINESE VISITORS AND THAT ALTHOUGH SOME RESTRICTIONS WERE IMPOSED ON TRAVEL BY CHINESE DIPLOMATS, THESE WERE NOT VERY STRICTLY APPLIED. AS CHINA'S RELATIONS WITH THE WEST GREW, CHINA SHOULD OPEN HERSELF TO FREER TRAVEL BY FOREIGN VISITORS, INCLUDING JOURNALISTS AND SCHOLARS.

13. MURRAY SAID THAT DEFENCE SALES HAD NOT (NOT) BEEN DISCUSSED BY THE TWO MINISTERS. HE DREW ATTENTION TO THE RELEVANT PASSAGE OF DR OWEN'S PRESS BRIEFING OF 13 OCTOBER. (FCO TELNO 654).

14. CONCLUSIONS

HUANG WAS IN RELAXED MOOD THROUGHOUT THE VISIT. CHINA'S PREOCCUPATION WITH THE SOVIET UNION RAN THROUGH ALL THE TALKS. BUT HUANG SEEMED NOT SIMPLY TO BE SPEAKING FOR EFFECT, BUT TO BE GENUINELY CONCERNED TO ALERT THE WEST TO A PERCEIVED DANGER. AT THE SAME TIME HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE WEST HAD A DIFFERENT

PERCEPTION.

15. THE CHINESE ARE GENUINELY ANXIOUS TO MAKE RAPID PROGRESS IN DEVELOPING THEIR RELATIONS WITH WESTERN COUNTRIES AND ARE RUSHING TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME. IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR THE WEST TO KEEP PACE WITH CHINA'S DEMANDS (E.G, EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGES).

OWEN

FILES

PED

KID

NAD

SAD,

HKIGD

EESD

NEWS Q OID.

PS/LORD GOLEN WY ROBERTS

PS/PUS SIRA DUFF

MR MURRA

MR CORTAZZI.

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