CONFIDENTIAL
If an accident occurred in a French reactor, the assessment is that opposition in Hong Kong to
Governor's
the Daya Bay plant might become uncontainable.
Action by HMG
10.
During Hu Yaobang' s recent
visit, Hong Kong's
concerns about safety at Daya Bay were raised with the
Chinese by the Prime Minister and by Messrs Walker,
Channon, Luce and Renton. The Chinese
response to UK
Ministers' suggestions that China act to allay these
concerns was that any action they take
conjunction with efforts by HMG, in view of our
responsibility for Hong Kong, and by France, as the
supplier of the nuclear technology.
11.
In view of UK
7
should be
in
and French firms' involvement as
suppliers to Daya Bay we are making a joint approach with the French to Li Peng (a Vice-Premier) at Ambassador
level. in Peking by our Ambassadors. We have agreed the
terms of a speaking note
(a) exhorting the Chinese to take effective
steps to reassure Hong Kong opinion, as UK
and France are doing; and
(b) offering our help in establishing a Chinese.
nuclear safety training programme.
We hope the Ambassadors will meet Li Peng soon.
12.
As mentioned at para 8 above, we have inspired EdF to
invite the UMELCO Panel to France for a presentation (with
an input from Framatome) both on the safety measures used
in French PWRS, and on contingency planning. In view of
the Panel's wish to visit Western Europe, the EdF
invitation may well form part of such a visit.
CONFIDENTIAL
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