TNAG-1390-FCO40-1862-Future-of-Hong-Kong-briefing-for-meetings-and-visits-1985 — Page 6

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HIK 945715 89

FROM: D COATES

DATE: 17 APRIL 1985

cc: Mr David Thomas

Dr Wilson

Mr Elliott, FED

Mr Powell, HKD

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32

BRUDDING

A

B

Sir W Harding

CHINESE ACTIVITIES IN ANTARCTICA

1.

Following Mr Sindall's minute of 28 January, you asked what Dr Laws, the Director of British Antarctic Survey (BAS) thought of recent Chinese activities in the light of his visit to Peking. I now attach a copy of Dr Laws' visit report.

2.

It

Predictably, perhaps, the report is heavy on travel content and light on information to add to what we already

know of Chinese activities and interests in Antarctica.

does, however, underline a Chinese desire to make progress fairly rapidly from a modest base and their consequent need to rely upon logistic and other facilities from Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties with easy access to the Continent. Since the nearest UK logistical base to the Antarctic Treaty area is in the Falkland Islands, the Chinese were faced with the prospect of impinging upon one delicate colonial situation at precisely the time that they were about to resolve another one (Hong Kong) with the same colonial power. The timings of the Anglo-Chinese announcement on Hong Kong and the Chinese publication of their intentions in Antarctica were so close as to make it inevitable that Chinese policy on the

two issues would have been co-ordinated. They apparently

decided to take a course of action which, in their eyes,

was both the least controversial in Antarctic Treaty terms

and in keeping with their anti-colonial image.

/3.

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