CONFIDENTIAL
BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION
COMMERCIAL SECTION
Un Sunti Little for nobene
para
5 contains a
Commonwealth Avenue, CANBERRA, A.C.T. 2600rrelation of
ECO 121/29
J A Shepherd Esq HKK 122/1
ELISTRY
1 MAY 1986
ECD (E)
FCO
Dear Jolm
RECEIVED
Of
INDEX
CHINA AND GATT
Telephone: 73 0422
Telex: 62222
A2015.
1)
ez
2 April 1986
Інкоў FED
295
passing interest
Hayder
14/4
SPD (w, ref)
Dni Evans
12) in Wamen
17. Lave has not yet seen.
will discuss with him latin in the week. We shall have to see Dr. Mcd, but it will not be easy to comight reporting 1. In my teleletter of 27 March (not get a line.
to all
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that John McDonnell, the Australian official who is to advise the Chinese on GATT membership, has been appointed and is about to visit Washington and London, I promised to give you further background on McDonnell's appointment, and his likely advice to the Chinese on GATT membership.
2. As you know, it became clear in the second half of last year (our telnos 588 and 776) that the Chinese were seeking advice from the Australians (amongst others) on the possibility of their "resuming" their seat in GATT, and that the Australians were very willing, in the light of their rapidly developing relationship with the Chinese, to provide such help. A Chinese delegation was in Canberra at the end of last year, and the Comptroller-General of Customs and a team subsequently visited China to talk about such issues. In addition (our telno 776) the Chinese requested the Australians to make available some aid money to help with the training of Chinese officials in GATT matters. The Australian response was a proposal that they should use aid funds to pay for the secondment of an Australian expert in GATT matters to advise the Chinese on GATT membership. This job seemed well suited to Colin Teese, who at the time was the Deputy Secretary at the Australian Department of Trade in charge of multilateral trade matters. He had the right experience, and his Minister was anxious to see him out of the Department. In the event, his nomination as Special Trade Representative based in London (the position now to be filled by Lindsay Duthie) having foundered, Teese decided that Peking was not even a worthy second best. (He has now left for the private sector!) The proposal has now been revised and extended, and John McDonnell is to be the Australian official to fill the position. McDonnell is (in British terms) a young Assistant Secretary at the Department of Trade whose most recent position has been in charge of
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CONFIDENTIAL
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