TNAG-1958-FCO40-2787-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Daya-Bay-nuclear-power-plant-1989 — Page 50

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3. VISIT OF WANG QUAN GUO. STONES SAID THAT AFTER HIS RETURN FROM DAYA BAY HE WAS TELEPHONED BY DAVIDSON, THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF GEC TURBINES, WHO HAD ALARMED HIM BY SAYING THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WERE NOW BEING EQUIVOCAL ABOUT THE VISIT OF WANG QUAN GUO AND HE WAS

NOT AT ALL SURE THAT THE VISIT OCOULD TAKE PLACE. IN

PARTICULAR THERE WAS A QUESTION MARK OVER THE MEETING WITH LORD YOUNG. I TOLD STONES THAT I HAD ALREADY RECEIVED ASSURANCES FROM YOU, FOLLOWING HIS AND MY PREVIOUS CONVERSATIONS, THAT THE VISIT SHOULD GO AHEAD AS PLANNED. ON THE MEETING WITH LORD YOUNG, I SAID THAT SINCE HE HAD RAISED IT, AT PRESENT THERE WERE NO CHANGES IN THE PROGRAMME. HE WOULD UNDERSTAND HOWEVER THAT MINISTERS WERE NECESSAR- ILY LOOKING HARD AT TOP LEVEL CONTACTS WITH PROMINENT MEMBERS OF

CHINA'S REGIME AND THAT MINISTERIAL VISITS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS HAD JUST BEEN CANCELLED, SO I WAS IN NO POSITION TO GIVE ANY ABSOLUTE UNDERTAKINGS ON THIS, BUT PLANNING COULD PROCEED ON THE BASIS THAT THE CHAIRMAN WOULD BE PROPERLY LOOKED AFTER IN LONDON AND ACCORDED

FULL FACILITIES ON THE VISIT WHICH WE RECOGNISED AS BEING OF CONSIDERABLE COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE. I PROMISED TO LET HIM KNOW IF THERE WERE ANY CHANGES. STONES DID NOT APPEAR TO HAVE ANY NEW INFORMATION ON WANG'S VISIT TO FRANCE BUT SEEMED TO THINK HE WOULD HAVE BEEN TOLD IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY CHANGE OF ATTITUDE ON THE PART OF THE FRENCH. HE SAID HE WOULD BE ACCOMPANYING WANG THROUGHOUT HIS LONDON VISIT AND ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE LORD YOUNG MEETING TOOK PLACE HE HOPED IT WOULD BE REGARDED AS HELPFUL IF HE WERE PRESENT AT

THAT TOO. (COMMENT: I IMAGINE WANG WOULD BE HAPPY TO HAVE STONES PRESENT, WHILE THE LOSS OF GOODWILL FROM STONES IF HE WERE EXCLUDED MIGHT BE COUNTER PRODUCTIVE. I THEREFORE SUGGEST THAT STONES SHOULD BE INCLUDED, IF THE MEETING TAKES PLACE).

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