TNAG-0840-FCO40-1049-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1979 — Page 49

donts think that, provided they are satisfied with the price

there should be any difficulty about the Harrier.

PS:

Is that a change in policy compared with that

of the previous government. Indeed, is your policy essentially

the same or essentially different from that of the previous

government, not just on Harrier but towards China generally?

LC:

No I think that the previous government were

pursuing exactly the same policy about the Harrier. I dont

think there is any change about that. I think probably is

rather the other way on: that perhaps the Chinese look at

a bit more, a bit differently, from our predecessors. Partly

because the Chinese, as you know, consider that Europe is

very important, and a cohesive Europe is important in terms

of the stability and balance in the world. I think they

probably take the view that we are in our attitude more

European, and in our attitude towards defence, more orientated

towards NATO this is their opinion not mine. To that exent

probably they feel that their relationship with us might be

a bit easier, but it remains to be seen whether it is and I

am right in what I say

PS:

hesitancy

·

For whatever reason, historical reasons of

towards Europe, it does seem to me that the Chinese

do differentiate to some extent between us and say the French

and Germans. If you agree that that is so, and that they look

on France and Germany slightly ahead of Britain, what are you

doing about it? What is the policy on that?

LC:

I think that the

I would rather question whether that was

French opened up their relationship rather more

did. If you look at the history of it,

So.

quickly than we

we were one of the very first to recognise China, in 1950,

Long before most other people. And then we exchanged

Ambassadors a good many years later

C

I think it was in 1972

- when Sir Alec Douglas Home

Douglas Home as he then was went over and paid

a visit. And perhaps we have been rather slow, but I doubt

whether the Chinese would think, I dont know why they should,

think there was much difference between us and the Germans and

the French. I dont know that there is all that much evidence