TNAG-1501-FCO40-2059-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station-project-at-Daya-Bay-safety-c-1986 — Page 223

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INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG,

INFO ROUTINE UKMIŞ VIENNA

MY TELNO.1307

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CHINA?

PARIS

NUCLEAR SAFETY.

1. WE HAVE COMPARED NOTES WITH THE FRENCH. THEIR NUMBER TWO SAW ZHOU PING ALSO ON 22 JULY, AFTER OUR MEETING. ZHOU SPOKE TO THE FRENCH IN VERTUALLY IDENTICAL TERMS TO THOSE USED WITH US, MUTATIS MUTANDIS. WHERE, IN SPEAKING TO US, HE REFERRED TO THE RESPON- SIBILITIES OF HMG AND/OR HKG, HE REFERRED TO THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT LINKING THESE SPECIFICALLY TO THE

ZHOU ALSO PROVISION OF FRENCH TECHNOLOGY FOR THE NUCLEAR ISLAND.

NOW THANKED THE FRENCH FOR THE MEETING ARRANGED BY GOURIEVIDIS, ON LEAVE, WITH THE CHINESE AND HONG KONG PRESS ON 16 JULY (WE HAVE NOT SEEN ANY REPORT OF THIS MEETING., IF ANYTHING APPEARED IN DA GONGBAO OR WEN HUIBAO IN HONG KONG, GRATEFUL TO KNOW).

2. IN DISCUSSION WITH THE FRENCH, WE AGREED THAT THE CHINESE HAD ALREADY GONE ALONG WAY TO RESPOND TO THE POINTS JOINTLY PUT TO THEM BY OUR TWO GOVERNMENTS. IN PARTICULAR, ON PUBLICITY, THE CHINESE PRESS HAS BEEN CARRYING A SERIES OF ARTICLES ABOUT NUCLEAR SAFETY REGULATIONS, THE SIGNATURE OF THE SINO FRENCH LETTER OF INTENT ON NUCLEAR SAFETY, AND EVEN (ON 22 JULY) THE CAPABILITIES OF A PLA CHEMICAL WARFARE UNIT TRAINED TO HANDLE NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS. (THE CHINESE HAVE NOT YET, HOWEVER, RESPONDED TO THE SUGGESTION THAT THE CONTENT AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH PUBLICITY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN ADVANCE COLLECTIVELY BY THE THREE GOVERNMENTS). THEY HAVE EXPRESSED A WELCOME FOR THE LEGCO VISIT TO FRANCE AND HAVE AGREED TO EXTEND AN INVITATION TO INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN HONG KONG TO VISIT CHINA. THE FRENCH HAVE NOTED THAT THE CHINESE NOW APPEAR TO HAVE DECIDED DEFINITELY NOT TO NOMINATE ANY CHINESE TO ACCOMPANY THE LEGCO GROUP TO FRANCE (THIS PROPOSAL WAS PUT FORWARD IN THE FRENCH SPEAKING NOTE, BUT NOT IN OURS).

3. AT THE SAME TIME, THE CHINESE HACE RETURNED TO THE CHARGE THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SHOULD THEM- SELVES DO MORE BY WAY OF PUBLICLY EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE DAYA BAY PLANT. YOU WILL WISH TO CONSIDER VERY CAREFULLY HOW BEST TO

RESPOND.

14.

Confidential