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continuing US arms sales to Taiwan, could not be allowed
to continue indefinitely. On the other hand on concrete
questions the Chinese attitude, he said, was always practical
and reasonable, a possible hint of acquiescence in supplies
of spare parts to Taiwan, Since then the story has been
taken another step forward with President Reagan's decision
not to sell advanced fighters to Taiwan. We are over one
hurdle; but there remain large areas of uncertainty and dissatisfaction and the situation, as the Lord Privy Seal
pointed out at the time, remains worrying to all friends
of the United States and China.
6.
In the brief discussion of bilateral matters, the
Chinese raised no current problems. Zhang agreed relations
between Britain and China, and as part of these, relations
between Hong Kong and China, were excellent.
Mr Atkins was
able to reconfirm our invitations to Chinese Vice Premiers and
to two Chinese Ministers to visit Britain.
7.
However
Unfortunately the Chinese Foreign Minister, Huang Hua,
was unable, because of ill health, to meet Mr Atkins.
the Chinese showed their awareness of their visitor's rank
and importance by arranging for him to call on Vice Premier
Ji Pengfei on 5 January. (Ji also hosted the welcoming banquet) and on Premier Zhao Ziyang the next day. After a
restatement by Vice Premier Ji of China's opposition towards
any US arms sales to Taiwan, Mr Atkins recalled that you had
raised the subject of the future of Hong Kong when you visited
/China
-3-m
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