TNAG-2347-FCO40-3416-Political-relations-between-Hong-Kong--Italy-and-China-1991 — Page 11

2.

((vt)

Worthy of mention is the fact that when I indicated to Li Peng

the importance that an Italian Parliamentary delegation, due to visit China, should also visit Tibet, he agreed that this would be a good idea. This is proof of the fact that the Chinese are by now resigned to an inevitable confrontation in the field of human rights (which naturally

at present is strongly contained).

According to your wish, I raised the question of Hong Kong

when I touched upon relations between EC member states and China.

My interlocutors expressed themselves in a very positive way on the

understandings reached with you on this point and told me that they

locked upon it as a most useful step towards

towards improving the general

situation in Asia.

To my considerations

reduction in

on the fundamental importance of a general

the level of armaments, which at present no longer seems

to be a hopeless utopia, the Chinese affirmed to be favourable to disarma-

especially in the nuclear field, but repeatedly declared that

limited nuclear arsenal, as well as their conventional one, has

ment,

their

a purely defensive role.

Li Peng also said that the reduction of armaments must be control-

led and balanced, making esplicit reference to the complex reality

of the Middle East. He added that, should a control of sales come

about, it would be necessary to take into account the capability of certain countries, such as Israel, to manufacture sophisticated weapons.

The Chinese leadership must be extremely worried by the recent events in the Soviet Union, but conceal their concern very well indeed. Jaing Zemin, for instance, confined himself to saying to have learned

from China's ancient history that there is an inevitable tendency to alternate between aggregation and division in the history of nations.

As for the various Asian questions, I received confirmation of their optimism with regard to Cambogia and of their improved relations with Vietnam. Li Peng gave the impression of deeming unfounded the concern expressed by some countries about North Korea's nuclear programme. He also said that China finds reasonable Pyongyang's proposal to make the whole peninsula nuclear free.

cont.d