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UP: SHATTUCK HAD STRESSED THAT THE ISSUES HE WAS RAISING WERE OF UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS VALIDITY. SHATTUCK HAD MADE IT CLEAR TO THE CHINESE THAT THE AMERICANS WANTED TO RENEW MFN. BUT SHATTUCK ECHOED TO US CHRISTOPHER'S REMARKS ON 20 OCTOBER (TIM DOWSE'S TELELETTER OF THAT DATE) THAT IF THE RENEWAL QUESTION HAD TO BE ADDRESSED NOW, HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CERTIFY THAT THERE HAD BEEN SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS. INDEED, IN SOME WAY THERE WAS REGRESSION: SHATTUCK CITED THE CRACKDOWN IN TIBET. SOME JOURNALISTS HAD BEEN ARRESTED DURING HIS VISIT THERE.
7.
SHATTUCK SAID IT WAS HARD TO KNOW HOW MUCH WEIGHT THE CHINESE ATTACHED TO MEN RENEWAL. ON ECONOMIC GROUNDS, THEY SHOULD DO SO. BUT THERE WERE ELEMENTS IN THE GOVERNMENT WHO WERE NOT MINDED TO
TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY AND WERE NOT LOOKING TO RESOLVE DIFFERENCES WITH THE U.S. ON FOLLOW-UP, OTHER SENIOR AMERICANS VISITING CHINA IN THE NEAR FUTURE (EG. FREEMAN, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR REGIONAL SECURITY DOD, LEAVING FOR MIL-MIL TALKS WITH CHINA, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA THIS WEEKEND, AND TREASURY SECRETARY BENTSEN, WHO WOULD VISIT CHINA IN JANUARY) WOULD RAISE HUMAN RIGHTS, AS WOULD CLINTON WHEN HE SAW JIANG ZEMIN IN SEATTLE. TARNOFF (UNDER-SECRETARY FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS, STATE) WOULD TAKE THE SAME LINE WHEN HIS OPPOSITE NUMBER VISITED WASHINGTON IN A WEEK'S TIME.
8. KENT WIEDEMANN (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR ASIAN AFFAIRS, NSC) TOLD ME ON 27 OCTOBER THAT AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF THE MIL-MIL TALKS WITH CHINA (PARA 7 ABOVE)
WAS SIMPLY GETTING THE MILITARY ON EACH SIDE TO MEET THEIR OPPOSITE
NUMBERS AFTER A FOUR YEAR BREAK. OTHER AGENDA ITEMS WOULD BE NORTH KOREA, COUNTER PROLIFERATION, REGIONAL SECURITY AND PEACEKEEPING.
SIGNED T R V PHILLIPS
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