TNAG-1621-FCO40-2235-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1987 — Page 162

GRS 700

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FM PEKING

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 80

OF 16103OZ JANUARY 87

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INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, WASHINGTON, MOSCOW, TOKYORECEIVED IN REGISTRY INFO SAVING SHANGHAI

MY TELNO 70:

3

CHINESE LEADERSHIP.

2 1 JAN 1987

DESK OFFICER INDEX

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Autor. Tak

SUMMARY

1. HU YAOBANG'S UNEXPLAINED ABSENCE FROM VIEW CONTINUES. SENIOR CHINESE LEADERS, INCLUDING DENG XIAOPING AND LI XIANNIAN, HAVE PUBLICLY STRESSED THAT CHINA'S REFORM POLICIES REMAIN UNCHANGED.

DETAIL

2. HU YAOBANG WAS AGAIN MISSING FROM AN OCCASION AT WHICH HIS APPEARANCE WOULD HAVE BEEN NATURAL WHEN HE FAILED TO MEET THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FINNISH COMMUNIST PARTY ON 15 JANUARY. THE CHINESE LEADER TO RECEIVE THE FINN WAS DENG XIAOPING, WHO USED THE OCCASION TO REITERATE HIS PUBLIC MESSAGE TO TAKESHITA THAT THE POLICIES OF REFORM AND OF OPENING TO THE OUTSIDE WOULD WOULD NOT BE CHANGED.

3. DENG'S REMARKS WERE PUBLISHED AS THE LEAD STORY IN PEOPLE'S DAILY OF 16 JANUARY. DENG SAID THAT CHINA'S COURSE WAS FIRM AND IMMUTABLE. CHINA'S TWO MAIN TASKS NOW WERE TO SAFEGUARD WORLD PEACE AND TO DEVELOP SOCIALIST PRODUCTION. CHINA NEEDED A POLITICAL SITUATION OF STABILITY AND UNITY AND NEEDED TO REMOVE ALL OBSTACLES IN THE WAY OF SOCIALIST PRODUCTION. THERE WAS NOW AN IDEOLIGICAL TREND WHICH ADVOCATED BOURGEOIS LIBERALISM, BUT THIS WOULD NOT AFFECT THE POLITICAL STABILITY AND UNITY CHINA HAD ATTAINED. NOR WOULD IT AFFECT THE REFORM AND OPEN DOOR POLICIES. CHINA'S ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE PAST EIGHT YEARS COULD NOT BE DENIED.

4. ALSO ON THE FRONT PAGE OF PEOPLE'S DAILY, LI XIANNIAN WAS REPORTED TO HAVE TOLD THE SPEAKER FROM ZIMBABWE THAT CHINA'S OPEN DOOR POLICY WAS CORRECT AND WOULD CONTINUE TO BE CARRIED OUT UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE FOUR BASIC PRINCIPLES. HE ADDED THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN SOME MISTAKES IN THE COURSE OF REFORM. BUT THIS DID NOT MATTER., NO PARTY OR GOVERNMENT COULD BE RIGHT ALL THE TIME. THEY SHOULD NOT RETREAT JUST BECAUSE OF SOME MINOR CRITICISM OR SET BACK.

COMMENT

5. THE FOUR BASIC PRINCIPLES TO WHICH LI XIANNIAN REFERRED HAVE BECOME THE POINT OF REFERENCE OF THE PRESENT HARDER IDEOLOGICAL LINE. THEY WERE ORIGINALLY ENUNCIATED BY DENG ZIAOPING IN MARCH

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