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stacles had to be removed if relations were to be
normalised: Vietnamese withdrawal from Cambodia, Soviet
withdrawal from Afghanistan and a reduction of Soviet forces
on the Chinese border. The Soviet Union continued to have a
rigid position on Cambodia and showed no sign of changing its policy on Afghanistan. In addition there had been a steady increase in Soviet intelligence-gathering flights along
China's coastline. For its part, China was sincere in wanting to improve relations so that the two countries could at least
be good neighbours. But the Soviet Union only indulged in
empty talk and unfriendly actions. To enter into an alliance with the Soviet Union was simply out of the question. Deng
Xiaoping had said that a summit meeting might be considered if
the Soviet Union were to relax its position on Cambodia but
this condition was not fulfilled. If there were to be any sign of improvement in Sino-Soviet relations, the Chinese
Government would take steps to brief HMG.
Cambodia
The Prime Minister said that it was a tragedy that
Vietnam was still occupying Cambodia. Hu Yaobang said that China's position on Cambodia was clear cut. China supported a coalition government combining the various resistance factions
and Vietnamese withdrawal. The coalition should be led by
Prince Sihanouk and Cambodia should be a neutral and
non-aligned country. It did not have to be socialist. would never accept Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia.
principle of Chinese policy that the affairs of a country must
be managed by the people of that country. The Prime Minister
observed that the prospects for establishing a coalition
government were not very good. Hu Yaobang admitted that it might take time.
Afghanistan
China
It was a
The
Hu Yaobang said that the Soviet Union had on at least
three occasions asked China to mediate on Afghanistan. Chinese Government had replied that there was nothing to
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