CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO DESKBY 14120OZ FCO
TELNO 1475
OF 140839Z AUGUST 86
NFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
MICK 166/1
ACCEIVED
TOP COPY
LIST ?
INFO PRIORITY BTC HONG KONG, UKMISALIENNAL PARIS
INDEX
YOUR TELNO'S 827 AND 828:
CHINA:
.RY
Hp Taken NUCLEAR SAFETY.
1. IN THE ABSENCE OF THE AMBASSADOR, COMMERCIAL COUNSELLOR TOOK
ACTION WITH VICE-MINISTER ZHOU PING ON 14 AUGUST. ZHOU PING WAS
ACCOMPANIED BY MEI ZHAO-TONG, DIRECTOR, WEST EUROPEAN DEPT, MFA.
2. DAVIES SPOKE TO THE LINE TO TAKE IN YOUR SECOND TUR AND LEFT A
COPY OF THE SPEAKING NOTE.
HE
3. ZHOU PING THANKED THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT FOR THEIR MESSAGE.
WOULD REPORT THE PROPOSALS TO HIS GOVERNMENT AND THESE WOULD BE
STUDIED. HE WOULD GIVE A FORMAL REACTION AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME.
AS TO THE MATTER OF A SHO
AS TO THE MATTER OF A SHORT POSTPONEMENT OF CONTRACT SIGNATURE HE REPEATED WHAT ZHOU NAN HAD SAID TO THE AMBASSADOR, NAMELY THAT A SHORT POSTPONEMENT WAS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION BUT COULD NOT GO BEYOND 7 OCTOBER. DAVIES SAID THAT THIS WAS UNDERSTOOD.
4. ZHOU PING ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION AS TO WHEN THE UMELCO PANEL MEMBERS MIGHT BE FREE TO VISIT PEKING. HE UNDERSTOOD THAT THEY WOULD BE WRITING THEIR REPORT IN THE SECOND HALF OF AUGUST. HE DI THIS EQUATE WITH OUR SUGGESTION THEY MIGHT BE INVITED TO PEKING IN THE FIRST HALF OF SEPTEMBER OR EVEN EARLIER? DAVIES UNDERTOOK TO ENQUIRE. ZHOU PING MADE THE POINT THAT HE WOULD HAVE FIRST TO REPORT OUR SUGGESTION ABOUT WHO MIGHT BE INCLUDED IN THE INVITATION AND GIVE A FORMAL REPLY LATER. IT WAS AGREED, HOWEVER, THAT THE EMBASSY WOULD LET THE MFA KNOW A SUITABLE TIME FOR A VISIT IF THE
CHINESE DECIDED TO INVITE UMELCO MEMBERS.
5. ZHOU PING SAID THAT THE CHINESE HAD RECENTLY RECEIVED SEVERAL IMPORTANT GROUPS INCLUDING SCHOLARS FROM HONG KONG AND THEY WOULD BE RECEIVING REPRESENTATIVES OF THE QUOTE SIGNATURE MOVEMENT UNQUOTE (HE EXPLAINED THIS AS THE ANTI-NUCLEAR MOVEMENT) NEXT WEEK.
6. ZHOU PING THEN ASKED DAVIES FOR HIS IMPRESSION OF THE CURRENT SITUATION IN HONG KONG ON THIS ISSUE. DAVIES SAID THAT FROM HIS READING OF THE HONG KONG NEWSPAPERS AND REPORTS FROM THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HIS IMPRESSION WAS THAT THERE WAS SLIGHTLY LESS CONCERN THAN BEFORE, BUT THAT THE SITUATION WAS STILL VERY DELICATE. THE BRITISH AND CHINESE SIDES STILL NEEDED TO WORK CLOSELY TOGETHER TO
ENSURE THAT THE CONCERN WAS CONTAINED. OUR IMPRESSION WAS THAT RECENT CHINESE STATEMENTS AND THE WAY THEY HAD BEEN PUBLICISED IN HONG KONG HAD HAD SOME EFFECT. WE WERE ALSO WORKING PATIENTLY AND QUIETLY BEHIND THE SCENES SO THAT THERE WAS NOW MORE BALANCE IN THE PUBLIC DISCUSSION. DAVIES STRESSED THAT THIS WAS HIS PERSONAL
CONFIDENTIAL
IMPRESSION.
17
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