UNCLASSIFIED
107761
MDTTAN 2348
UNFREE ANY INTELLECTUAL OR CREATIVE CHINESE WERE. I AM VERY INTERESTED IN THE NEW THINK TANK' STYLE ORGANISATIONS WHICH ARE OCCASIONALLY MENTIONED IN YOUR LETTERS: AND WOULD BE INTERESTED TO MEET ANY ACADEMICS OR POLICY MAKERS WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR DEALINGS WITH WESTERN AND CAPITALIST COUNTRIES IN GENERAL. ANY DOMESTIC POLITICAL GOSSIP IS ALWAYS OF INTEREST. I CONTINUE TO NURSE PRIVATE DOUBTS ABOUT ZHAO ZIYANG'S POSITION AND WOULD BE HAPPY TO HAVE THOSE QUELLED AGAIN.
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ON THE ECONOMIC SIDE I AM INTERESTED IN ALL THE OBVIOUS SUBJECTS: MACRO ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT (CAN THEY REALLY DO IT OR WILL THE WHOLE HEATH ROBINSON MACHINE COLLAPSE?), CENTRALISATION OF BANKING CONTROL, INFLATION, DEBT, TAXATION, CAPITALISM, AND CAPITALISTS THE PRESS HERE HAS RECENTLY RETOLD VARIOUS TALES OF WOE COMING UPON THOSE WHO HAVE GOT RICH). IN PARTICULAR THE COASTAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, IN SO FAR AS THIS IS A SUBSTANTIAL POLICY NOT JUST A POLITICAL FOOTBALL. I PLAN (SEE PARA 7 BELOW) TO GO TO JIANGSU AND (IF POSSIBLE) ZHE-JIANG RATHER THAN FUJIAN: AND I SHOULD BE VERY GRATEFUL FOR PETER WOOD'S GUIDANCE ON PLACES TO GO AND GOOD QUESTIONS TO ASK.
5.
TO A CERTAIN EXTENT MY AIM IN EACH PLACE WILL SIMPLY BE TO TALKS TO AS BROAD A CROSS SECTIONS OF PEOPLE AND GET OUT AND ABOUT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. ALTHOUGH I KNOW 10 DAYS IS LUDICROUSLY SHORT TO ATTEMPT TO ABSORB ATMOSPHERE IT IS ALL I AM GOING TO GET FOR SOME TIME AND I MUST DO WITH IT WHAT I CAN. I ALSO LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING SOMETHING ABOUT THE WORK OF THE REST OF THE EMBASSY AND MEETING A FEW MORE OF YOUR COLLEAGUES. WHEN I WAS IN PEKING IN EARLY APRIL LAST YEAR I DID MEET ALYSON, CARSTEN AND SHAUN, AND I SAY PETER CLARK ON HIS WAY THROUGH HONG KONG. BUT FOR MY GENERAL EDUCATION I SHOULD BE INTERESTED TO SEE SOMETHING OF THE COMMERCIAL DEPARMENT'S WORK IN PARTICULAR.
6. ONE POINT THAT CONCERNS ME IS LANGUAGE I RECENTLY REPASSED THE ADVANCED EXAM BUT I FEAR THAT IS AN INDICATION OF HOW FAR STANDARDS HAVE SLIPPED RATHER THAN ANY PROOF OF COMPETENCE ON MY PART. I AM QUITE HAPPY IN GENERAL CONVERSATION BUT HAVING NEVER WORKED IN MANDARIN I SUSPECT MY VOCABULARY MAY BE TOO WEAK TO COPE WITH TECHNICAL, ESPECIALLY ECONOMIC, DISCUSSION. I KNOW I CANNOT EXPECT ANYTHING TO BE DONE IN ENGLISH, BUT THINK I SHOULD MENTION THIS POINT.
7. ITINERARY
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