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MDHIAN 5442
OF EUROPE WE BELIEVED THAT IT WAS WRONG TO LOCK UP PEOPLE BECAUSE
OF THEIR RELIGIOUS VIEWS. THE FACT THAT CHINA STILL DID THIS
CAUSED SO MUCH DAMAGE TO CHINA'S RELATIONS WITH EUROPE THAT
MR. GUMMER COULD NOT SEE WHY CHINA DID NOT CHANGE ITS POLICY.
WU REPLIED THAT HE WAS NOT SURE ABOUT THE NUMBERS MR. GUMMER HAD
MENTIONED BUT THE ONLY PERSONS WHO WERE IN PRISON IN CHINA WERE
THOSE WHO HAD BROKEN THE LAW. HE REFERRED TO THE CASE OF GONG
PINMEI WHO HAD BEEN IMPRISONED IN THE 1950'S BECAUSE HE HAD
BROKEN CHINESE LAW. HE HAD BEEN RELEASED FROM PRISON BUT IN JUNE
THIS YEAR HAD BEEN NAMED AS A CARDINAL. (COMMENT: GONG PINMEI IS BISHOP OF SHANGHAI. HE WAS RELEASED FROM DETENTION IN 1985 AND IN 1988 WAS ALLOWED TO GO TO THE UNITED STATES. THE VATICAN ANNOUNCED IN THE SUMMER OF THIS YEAR THAT HE HAD BEEN MADE A CARDINAL TWELVE YEARS EARLIER BUT THAT THIS HAD BEEN KEPT SECRET AT THE TIME).
6"
MR. GUMMER SUGGESTED THAT HE SHOULD WRITE TO WU WITH A LIST OF NAMES OF PRIESTS IN DETENTION. HE HOPED THAT WU WOULD THEN
THIS WAS AN ISSUE ON WHICH
SEE WHAT COULD BE DONE ABOUT THEM. HE VERY MUCH HOPED TO SEE PROGRESS. WU REPLIED THAT IT WOULD NOT BE PROPER FOR HIM TO ACCEPT SUCH A LIST. BUT MR. GUMMER COULD
SEND IT TO THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE WHO WOULD TRANSMIT IT TO THE AUTHORITIES CONCERNED.
7.
MR. GUMMER THEN CHANGED THE SUBJECT TO CHINA'S RELATIONS WITH
ITS NEIGHBOURS. WU RESPONDED IN GENERAL TERMS WITHOUT SAYING
ANYTHING NEW.
MCLAREN.
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
76
PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO
(CHINA AND HONG KONG)
LIMITED
FED
PUSD
HKD
NEWS D
DISTRIBUTION
79
PAGE
PROTOCOL D
RAD
PS
PS/LORD CAITHNESS
PS/PUS
SIR J COLES
MR BURNS
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