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6. However, I consider that it would be a mistake for the Prime
Minister to register our concerns by agreeing to receive Mr Yakup
and his colleagues. He is clearly not representative of Chinese
student opinion as a whole. If the Prime Minister were to receive
his group, she would risk being drawn into the conflicts and
rivalries within the Chinese student community. This would reduce
the impact of such a symbolic gesture. Mr. Yakup might instead be
offered a call in FED.D
7. It would be more appropriate for the Prime Minister to offer to
receive a delegation: from the Chinese Students and Scholars Association. The
There is however, a risk that such an offer would
embarrass the leadership of the Association who must be concerned
about the effect of their political activities in Britain on their
Own careers and on their families in China. There have been reports
that the Chinese Embassy have sought to intimidate Chinese students
in Britain, although the Chinese Chargé denied this when he called
on Mr. Gillmore on 12. June. There is no collateral
to substantiate the allegations against. the Embassy. Even
if leaders of the Association agreed. to call on the Prime Minister,
they might not be prepared to speak openly. But I think that No.
10 should at least make the offer.
8. The alternative would be for the Prime Minister to invite to
No. 10 the organisers of the candle-lit vigil outside the Chinese
Embassy over the weekend. Two ad hoc organisations were involved
"Chinese Solidarity" and the "Chinese Students Emergency Coordination Group". Both organisations contain students from the
PRC and Hong Kong. This would be an advantage in presentational
The drawback is that these organisations, especially
terms.
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