TNAG-1341-FCO40-17721-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1985 — Page 164

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CONFIDENTIAL

GRS 1200

CONFIDENTIAL

FROM PEKING 190825Z DEC 34

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 3036 OF 13/12/84

INFO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON AND MOSCOW

INFO PRIORITY UKDEL NATO AND HONG KONG.

ник око/57.

RECEIVEL. 040/57

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27 DEC 1984

DESK OFFICEA

INDEX

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Acton Tuken

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MY SECOND IPT: PRIME MINISTER'S TALKS WITH PREMIER ZHAO ZIYANG:

EAST WEST RELATIONS

SUMMARY

1. THE PEIME MINISTER AND ZHAO BOTH HOPED THAT RESUMED ARMS CONTROL

TALKS BETWEEN THE SOVIET UNION AND THE UNITED STATES WOULD LEAD

TO GENUINE REDUCTIONS IN ARMAMENTS. THE PRIME MINISTER EMPHASISED

THE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO SUPERPOWERS. ZHAO HOPED

FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF SINO-US RELATIONS AND HELD OUT NO PROPSECT

OF IMPROVEMENT IN SINO-SOVIET RELATIONS OTHER THAN IN TRADE AND

CULTURAL FIELDS.

DETAIL

2. THE PRIME MINISTER SAID THAT A NUMBER OF FACTORS HAD RECENTLY

COMBINED TO CAUSE THE SOVIET UNION AND THE UNITED STATES BOTH TO

CONSIDER THE RESUMPTION OF NEGOTIATIONS ON ARMS CONTROL. THE

CHANCES OF RESULTS WERE BETTER THAN IN THE LAST TWO OR THREE YEARS.

THE PROSPECT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW GENERATION OF WEAPONS IN

OUTER SPACE HAD BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN BRINGING ABOUT THE RESUMPTION OF TALKS. WE RECOGNISED THAT EACH COUNTRY, INCLUDING THE SOVIET

UNION, HAD TO FEEL SECURE WITHIN ITS OWN BORDERS AND IN ITS OWN

WAY OF LIFE. FOR THAT, A BALANCE OF FORCES WAS NECESSARY. THE CHOICE

WAS BETWEENA BALANCE AT A HIGH LEVEL OF ARMAMENTS OR REACHING

AGREEMENT WHICH COULD SECURE A BALANCE AT LOWER LEVELS. ANY SUCH AGREEMENT HAD TO BE VERIFIABLE. BECAUSE THE COST OF MOVING TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF WEAPONS WAS SO HIGH, IT WAS RIGHT TO SEEK BALANCE AT LOWER LEVELS. IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT MUST NOT BE

MISSED, ALTHOUGH A GREAT DEAL OF DETAILED AND COMPLEX NEGOTIATIONS ON ALL TYPES OF WEAPONS AND FORCES WAS NECESSARY.

3. THE PRIME MINISTER SAID THAT SHE AND GORBACHEV, DURING THEIR RECENT DISCUSSION, HAD AGREED THAT NEITHER SIDE SHOULD LOOK AT THE OTHER THROUGH ROSE TINTED SPECTACLES. EACH LOOKED FROM THE

VIEW-POINT OF TWO VERY DIFFERENT SYSTEMS. NEVERTHELESS, TWO VIEWS WERE HELD IN COMMON:

A) THERE MUST NEVER BE ANOTHER MAJOR WORLD CONFLICT,

B) THERE WAS A NEW URGENCY ABOUT SEEKING ARMS CONTROL AGREEMENTS.

CONFIDENTIAL

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