TNAG-1144-FCO40-1424-Hong-Kong-and-the-Falkland-Islands-crisis-1982 — Page 97

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GR 430

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING 220345Z APR $2

TO ROUTINE F C O

TELNO 235 OF 22 APRIL

RPTD INFO UKMIS NEW YORK

SAVING INFO HONG KONG.

YOUR TELNOS 168 AND 171: FALKLANDS

1. THANK YOU FOR THESE FULL INSTRUCTIONS.

2. I SPOKE TO VICE FOREIGN MINISTER ZHANG CANMING ON 21 APRIL SAYING THAT WE HAD NOTED THE STAND TAKEN BY CHINA AT THE UN, AND CHINESE LEADERS' COMMENTS TO MR HEATH. HOWEVER WE WERE DI STURBED BY THE PEOPLE'S DAILY COMMENTARY OF 15 APRIL, WHICH APPEARED TO CONDONE THE ARGENTINIAN MILITARY ACTION AND WHICH FAILED TO CALL FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF SCR 502. I HOPED HE COULD REASSURE ME THAT THIS DID NOT REPRESENT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION.

3. ZHANG AVOIDED ANY SUCH SPECIFIC ASSURANCE, BUT REPEATEDLY EXPRESSED THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S HOPE THAT THE CRISIS COULD BE

SETTLED BY PEACEFUL NEGOTIATION. THE NEAREST HE CAME TO CONDEMNING

THE ARGENTINIAN INVASION WAS WHEN HE SAID THAT CHINA ALWAYS HELD

THAT QUESTIONS LEFT OVER BY HISTORY SHOULD BE SETTLED BY PEACEFUL

MEANS. FOR THE REST, HE REPEATED WHAT HE SAID AT OUR PREVIOUS MEETING.

4. I TOOK HIM UP ON A NUMBER OF POINTS, EXPLAINING THE HISTORICAL BASIS OF OUR SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE FALKLANDS, THE FACT THAT THIS WAS NOT A DECOLONISATION ISSUE, OUR RESPECT FOR THE WISHES OF THE INHABITANTS, AND THE DANGER TO PEACE IF GEOGRAPHY ALONE WAS TAKEN AS THE BASIS OF SOVEREIGNTY CLAIMS. AS AN ILLUSTRATION OF THIS LAST POINT, I MENTIONED THE SPRATLEYS AND PARACELS. THE FALKLANDS ISSUE, LIKE MANY OTHERS, HAD ITS ROOTS IN HISTORY, BUT IT WOULD BE A VERY DANGEROUS PRECEDENT TO ACCEPT THAT ONE PARTY MIGHT THEREFORE RESORT TO FORCE. SINCE HE AND THE PEOPLE'S DAILY ARTICLE HAD MENTIONED THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT, I LISTED THE LARGE NUMBER OF NON-ALIGNED WHO HAD CONDEMNED THE INVASION.

CONFIDENTIAL

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