2 F APK 1989
HKB
НКВ 020/6.
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A
B
Нечик
267.5
Mr McLaren
PS/Lord Glenarthur
CC
CONFIDENTIAL
FROM:
DATE:
CC:
as minute
+ Mr McLaren
Mr. Millington, FED
√26/4
pase 2 obtained
from Fed and inserted.
TX360 per
した
58
A N R Millington t haven't yet seen
Far Eastern Department
"the rest of this!
25 April 1989 Enter the Rnzoly
PS/PUS
Mr Gillmore
Mr Paul, HKD Mr Wye, RD
& tpm.
Miss Marsour Mr Wod Wyv
It looks pretion
challenging
wond4x/27/4
Thankym. A useful analysis. I just if ti. Khan Honalds now (para 2) is not rather ✓ wer-optimistic. I kend to sndorse ins Reclarens rew
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inded
CHINA: STUDENT DEMONSTRATIONS (tu) won to some wetent boon out by my talk trian
1.
Ko the Chinese ambassadry
(hard
Oleather)
Demonstrations in China over the past week triggered by the death of Hu Yaobang have attracted a great deal of attention in the media and elsewhere. Articles by commentators such as Colina MacDougall in the Financial Times of 21 April and Jonathan Mirsky of The Observer of 23 April have portrayed them as the greatest challenge to the leadership since 1976. They emphasised the leadership's fear of widespread public protests which the student demonstrations in Peking may incite. They cite the following as new and explosive problems facing the Chinese authorities: struggles within the leadership, the ailing economy, and discontent over such issues as inflation, price rises and corruption. Speculation continues about the position of current General Secretary, Zhao Ziyang.
2. By contrast, the Embassy's recent reporting has emphasized the essentially peaceful nature of the student demonstrations and the restrained and low key response of the Chinese Government (Telnos. 686 and 694). Sir A Donald does not think that the demonstrations pose any serious challenge to the government, which he sees as having acted with confidence both in its handling of the incidents and allowing extensive Chinese media coverage.
3. The demonstrations began in Peking on 17 April following the announcement of the death of former General Secretary Hu Yaobang on 15 April. They were at first confined to students in Peking and were non violent and good natured. Between two to four thousand students gathered in Tiananmen Square, carrying banners and wreaths in memory of Hu Yaobang and chanting pro-democracy slogans. The police did repulse very firmly a group of almost three hundred students who tried to force their way into the party headquarters at Zhong Nanha i to present their demands to Premier Li Peng on the early morning of 19 April: the posthumous rehabilitation of Hu, the disclosure of the salaries of the leadership, a free press and radio, and general elections of top leaders.
4. Since 21 April when the demonstrations were reported by the national media in China, there have been reports of the unrest spreading to other cities and beginning to involve other sectors of society especially workers. There were violent disturbances in Xian
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