do this, their main negotiating team numbered
no more than 20, with 4-6 CLP participants.
Sheer shortage of resources meant that they
could not negotiate on all fronts simultaneously.
On the commercial front, the nuclear element
was the lynchpin, and initial concentration
was on resolving differences: protracted
sessions with Chinese pressures and grudging
movements by Framatome. Meanwhile, GEC were
very effectively put on "hold".
Financial Negotiations On the finance side,
there was a large formal meeting on both UK/
French and Bank of China at the start, plenty
of expressions of will to achieve successful
co-operation. But discussions were stalled
immediately through some dispute on the
Chinese side as to whether the JVC were
allowed to have a formal seat at the negot-
iating table. After a few days, each side
had its first session with "JVC observers"
སྐ་
notably, the UK had Sir Jack Cator, the
erstwhile Financial Secretary of Hong Kong,
but appointed as Chairman of HKNIC, and a
Chinese member of the JVC, while the French
had C K Ho from CLP by far the most astute
-
and effective commercial negotiator, plus
another Chinese representative.
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