TNAG-1501-FCO40-2059-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station-project-at-Daya-Bay-safety-c-1986 — Page 6

CONSIDERED IF IT WAS ADVANTAGEOUS.

BUT POSTPONEMENT COULD NOT BE

''TOO LONG''. IN ANY EVENT DELAY COULD NOT GO BEYOND THE FIRST

WEEK OF OCTOBER. OTHERWISE THE PROJECT WOULD HAVE TO BE RENEGO- TIATED. AS HAD BEEN EXPLAINED, THE CHINESE POSITION TO GO AHEAD WAS FIRM. ALTHOUGH NOTHING HAD BEEN SAID PUBLICLY, PEOPLE IN HONG KONG KNEW THAT WELL. THE AMBASSADOR REPLIED THAT THE BRITISH

GOVERNMENT'S POSITION HAD BEEN EXPLAINED TO THE CHINESE DURING HU YAQBANG'S VISIT TO LONDON IN JUNE.

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6. ZHOU NAN SAID THAT VICE PREMIER LI PENG HAD RAISED THE QUESTION

OF THE 'ANTI NUCLEAR MOVEMENT' IN HONG KONG WITH MRS THATCHER, MR WALKER AND MR CHANNON. HE HAD EXPRESSED THE CHINESE HOPE THAT

WE WOULD COOPERATE IN CALMING THE TIDE OF OPINION IN HONG KONG. SINCE CHERNOBYL THERE HAD NATURALLY BEEN CONCERN. BUT THERE WAS A

SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WHO WERE EXPLOITING THIS FOR

POLITICAL REASONS. WE HAD A COMMON RESPONSIBILITY TO DAMP THIS

MOVEMENT DOWN. LI PENG HAD SAID THAT CHINA WOULD TAKE STEPS TO

CALM FEARS IN HONG KONG. PEOPLE IN HONG KONG KNEW THAT THE CHINESE

POSITION TO GO AHEAD WAS FIRM. THERE WAS NO TRUTH IN THE RUMOURS

THAT THE CHINESE WERE RECONSIDERING THEIR POSITION, WHICH WAS

REASONABLE. THEY WERE PREPARING TO SEND EXPERTS TO HONG KONG TO

EXPLAIN THE RELIABILITY OF THE SAFETY ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE PROJECT.

HONG KONG WAS TO SEND A TEAM OF SENIOR PEOPLE TO PEKING, AND THE CHINESE WOULD TALK TO THEM''. BESIDES THESE TWO VISITS, THE

CHINESE NUCLEAR ASSOCIATION WAS PLANNING TO HOLD AN EXHIBITION IN HONG KONG TO DEMONSTRATE CHINA'S CAPACITY IN THIS FIELD. AT THE

RIGHT TIME THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WOULD ANNOUNCE THEIR POSITION TO

GO AHEAD PUBLICLY.

7. ZHOU NAN THEN ASKED IF THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG GOVERNMENTS

WOULD ALSO TAKE STEPS. THE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS OF THE MISSIONS TO EUROPE AND THE US WERE ALREADY KNOWN. MEANWHILE LEADERS OF THE

ANTI NUCLEAR MOVEMENT WERE MAKING PUBLIC STATEMENTS. THERE WERE

POLITICAL FACTORS HERE. THERE WAS TALK OF MASS MEETINGS. IN THESE

CIRCUMSTANCES CLOSE COOPERATION, AND A MAJOR EFFORT, WERE NEEDED TO

DAMP THESE ACTIVITIES DOWN. IF THEY WERE ALLOWED TO DEVELOP IT

WOULD NOT BE CONDUCIVE TO HONG KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY.

MOREOVER BOTH SIDES WANTED THE QUEEN'S VISIT TO TAKE PLACE IN THE

BEST POSSIBLE ATMOSPHERE. HE HOPED WE WOULD CONSIDER HOW TO DEAL

WITH THIS PROBLEM. CHINA WOULD TAKE ALL STEPS WITHIN ITS POWER.

BUT THE MOVEMENT WAS IN HONG KONG, ADMINISTRATION OF WHICH WAS A BRITISH RESPONSIBILITY UNTIL 1997. WE SHOULD CONSIDER SERIOUSLY

THE POSSIBLE RESULTS OF THESE ACTIVITIES WHICH COULD EVEN AFFECT OUR COOPERATION OVER HONG KONG DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD. WE HELD

A ''MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITY AND IT WOULD BE TO MUTUAL ADVANTAGE '' TO COOPERATE. HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE PROBLEM HE HAD DESCRIBED

COULD BE SOLVED. THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD MANY WAYS OF CURBING

THIS MOVEMENT. WE SHOULD USE ALL OUR 'STRENGTH AND INFLUENCE ''

IN HONG KONG.

CONFIDENTIAL

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