TNAG-1624-FCO40-2238-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1987 — Page 60

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MDLIAN 5511

EQUALITY AND MUTUAL BENEFIT.

3 JI DID HAVE SOME CRITICAL REMARKS TO MAKE ON THE NUMBER OF CHINESE DELEGATIONS GOING ABROAD. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT CONTACTS

WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD PLAYED A POSITIVE ROLE IN INTRODUCING

ADVANCED EXPERIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TO CHINA, BUT HE THOUGHT THAT THERE WERE TOO MANY SUCH DELEGATIONS AT THE MOMENT AND HE DESCRIBED THIS AS 'ABNORMAL AT A TIME WHEN CHINA'S FOREIGN CURRENCY RESERVE IS VERY LIMITED''. HE SAID THAT THIS PROBLEM WOULD BE DEALT WITH

AFTER THE PARTY CONGRESS.

COMMENT:

4. THERE HAD BEEN SOME SPECULATION HERE ABOUT THE OMISSION OF ANY SUMMARY OF FOREIGN POLICY IN ZHAO'S WORK REPORT. THE RELEVANT SECTION OF THE LATTER, WHILE VERY POSITIVE ABOUT CHINA'S COMMITMENT TO THE OPEN DOOR POLICY AND ABOUT ARRANGEMENTS TO FACILITATE ECONOMIC RELATIONS WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD, HAD INCLUDED NO MORE THAN ONE OR TWO SENTENCES ON INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL RELATIONS. SOME COLLEAGUES HERE WERE GOING SO FAR AS TO SPECULATE ON WHETHER THIS RETICENCE MARKED DIVISIONS WITHIN THE PARTY, EG ON THE BALANCING OF

CHINA'S POSITION BETWEEN EAST AND WEST. JI'S REMARKS NOW SEEM TO

BELY ANY SUCH THOUGHTS AND TO SUPPORT THE ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATION OFFERED TO US BY MFA OFFICIALS, VIZ THAT THERE SIMPLY WERE NO URGENT ISSUES IN FOREIGN POLICY OF SUFFICIENTLY HIGH PRIORITY TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN EXTENDED SPACE IN ZHAO'S REPORT.

5. AS FOR SUBSTANCE, JI DID NOT ADD ANYTHING TO THE CURRENT PRINCIPLES OF CHINESE FOREIGN POLICY WHICH, AS I NOTED IN MY DESPATCH OF 26 OCTOBER, WERE ENUNCIATED BY ZHAO ZIYANG TO THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS IN 1986. INDEED, JI ACKNOWLEDGED THAT ZHAO ZIYANG'S ANALYSIS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION AND HIS

EXPLANATION OF CHINA'S FOREIGN POLICY WOULD CONTINUE TO GUIDE THE WHOLE PARTY AND COUNTRY IN THE EXERCISE OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

EVANS

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