TNAG-1501-FCO40-2059-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station-project-at-Daya-Bay-safety-c-1986 — Page 8

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GRS 850

CONFIDENTINAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 2579

OF O9O5OOZ AUGUST 86

CONFIDENTIAL

AND TO IMMEDIATE PEKING

MKK 600/1

TOP COPY Q DIST?

HINOF PRIORITY HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, PARIS, DT4

*NFO PRIORITY DEPT OF ENERGY, BTC HONG KONG

(102)

OUR TELNO 2526 : NUCLEAR SAFETY : CHINA.

PARAGRAPH 4 OF OUR TUR (NOT TO ALL) HINTED AT A POSSIBLE SHIFT

IN PUBLIC OPINION. THIS IS TAKING PLACE BUT IT IS EARLY DAYS AND

COULD SHIFT BACK AGAIN. HOWEVER THERE ARE SOME SIGNS THAT THE

PRESSURES BEING EXERTED BEHIND THE SCENES BY US AND OTHERS ARE

BEGINNING TO SHOW SOME RESULTS. MOREOVER SANER VOICES IN THE

COMMUNITY ARE NOW SPEAKING OUT THOUGH THE HINSPIRATION FOR THIS IS

NOT ENTIRELY HOME GROWN. WHILE DAYA BAY HS STILL A MAJOR TOPIC

OF INTEREST COMMENTS GENERALLY MORE SOBER AND LESS EMOTIONAL .

THERE IS ALSO A GROWING ACCEPTANCE OF THE FACT THAT FOR WHATEVER

REASON THE CHINESE ARE GOING TO PRESS ON WITH THE PROJECT REGARDLESS.

2. IN THE THIRD WEEK IN JULY WE BEGAN TO SEE A NUMBER OF CNS REPORTS

ABOUT NUCLEAR SAFETY AND DAYA BAY AND A SERIES OF SPECIAL ARTICLES

ON THESE SUBJECTS IN THE LOCAL LEFT WING PAPERS. WE NOW HAVE THE

APPROACH FROM NCNA REGARDING THE PROPOSED EXHIBITION BY THE NUCLEAR

ASSOCIATION OF CHINA. TO THIS EXTENT, THE CHINESE SEEM TO HAVE GOT

THE MESSAGE THAT THEY MUST DO SOMETHING IN HONG KONG. AN NCNA SOURCE

HAS SAID THAT CHINA WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION IN HONG KONG ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN CHINA AND THE SAFETY

STANDARDS ADOPTED. IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHETHER THE CHINESE

PUBLIC RELATIONS EFFORT WILL BE EFFECTIVE 'N THIS SOPHISTICATED

BUT VOLATILE COMMUNITY.

3. IN RECENT WEEKS A FEW LONE VOICES MAINLY ACADEMICS (LOCAL AND

OVERSEAS) HAVE MADE SOME MODERATE SPEECHES AND STATEMENTS ABOUT

NUCLEAR ENERGY. ON 4 AUGUST A GROUP COMING MAINLY FROM DISTRICT

BOARDS, URBAN COUNCIL, AND REGIONAL COUNCIL HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE THAT THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE HILL-

INFORMED OVER-REACTION OF THE LAST FEW MONTHS AND WERE LAUNCHING A

CAMPAIGN TO HELP THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND THE DAYA BAY ISSUE HN

A SCIENTIFIC AND RATIONAL MANNER. IN AN ADVERTISEMENT PLACED IN

SOME CHINESE NEWSPAPERS, THE GROUP STRESSED THE BENEFITS OF NUCLEAR

ENERGY BOTH AS AN ADVANCED FORM OF TECHNOLOGY AND AS A PREREQUISITE

FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF PROSPERITY.

CONFIDENTIAL