TNAG-2828-FCO40-4081-Hong-Kong-Guangdong-nuclear-power-station--Daya-Bay--China-1993 — Page 36

CONFIDENTIAL

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MDADAN 6459

INFORMATION.

4. CHEN AND WANG SAID THAT, ALTHOUGH THE EXPERT TALKS WERE BEING HANDLED BY THE GUANGDONG AUTHORITIES, THEIR OFFICE CONTINUED TO TAKE A CLOSE INTEREST AND TO ENCOURAGE THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO BE

AS HELPFUL AND FORTHCOMING AS POSSIBLE. ON-SITE QUESTIONS WERE NOT DISCUSSED ON 16 APRIL ONLY BECAUSE OF LACK OF TIME, NOT BECAUSE OF ANY RELUCTANCE ON THE GUANGDONG SIDE. PEKING HAD SENT EXTRA EXPERTS TO TAKE PART IN THESE TALKS, AND THEY EXPECTED GOOD RESULTS FROM THE NEXT MEETINGS IN THE WEEK OF 17 MAY. THEY DID NOT THINK THAT THE CONFIDENTIALITY POINT NEED BE A BIG PROBLEM: IT MIGHT NOT BE NECESSARY AFTER ALL TO HAVE ANYTHING IN WRITING ABOUT THIS, BUT THEIR LEADERSHIP ATTACHED IMPORTANCE TO THE PRINCIPLE OF CONFIDENTIALITY, SO THERE WOULD NEED TO BE A SATISFACTORY UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES.

5.

WANG WENT ON TO SAY THAT THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES HAD BEEN STUDYING CLOSELY THE PAPER HANDED OVER BY THE HONG KONG SIDE DURING

THE 13-16 APRIL TALKS (PARA 7 OF HONG KONG TELNO 620), SETTING OUT WHAT HONG KONG WANTED ON ON-SITE MATTERS. WANG SAID THAT, ON THE BASIS OF HIS LONG EXPERIENCE IN THIS FIELD, HE CONSIDERED THAT HONG KONG WAS ASKING FOR FAR MORE THAN WAS USUAL, EG IN THE ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN DIFFERENT EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, OR IN TERMS OF WHAT INFORMATION WOULD BE GIVEN TO THE CHINESE PROVINCIAL AUTHORITIES. MUCH OF THE DATA WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO INTERPRET WITHOUT ESTABLISHING A LARGE TEAM OF EXPERTS IN HONG KONG AND WOULD-IN-ANY CASE BE UNNECESSARY FOR HONG KONG'S REAL REQUIREMENTS. AS HONG KONG'S OWN OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS HAD STATED, THE ISSUES OF MOST DIRECT AND IMMEDIATE RELEVANCE TO HONG KONG CONCERNED FOOD AND WATER SUPPLY. IN LAYMAN'S TERMS, IF HONG KONG HAD TO BE NOTIFIED EVERY TIME A WARNING LIGHT FLASHED ON THE DAYA BAY CONTROL PANELS, IT WOULD REQUIRE A MASSIVE FLOW OF INFORMATION GIVEN THE

SOPHISTICATION OF SAFETY MONITORING EQUIPMENT AND THE FINE MARGINS OF TOLERANCE. HE HOPED THE HONG KONG SIDE WOULD RECOGNISE THESE

POINTS.

6. CHEN AND WANG EMPHASISED AGAIN THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT ATTACHED GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THE SAFETY OF THE DAYA BAY STATION AND TO GOOD CO-OPERATION WITH HONG KONG. THEY UNDERSTOOD THE

SENSITIVITY OF HONG KONG'S PUBLIC OPINION AND THE RESPONSIBILITIES

OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. WE WELCOMED THESE POINTS AND AGAIN URGED THAT THE CHINESE SIDE SHOULD SHOW THE MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY IT WAS IMPORTANT TO AVOID UNNECESSARY PUBLIC CONCERN IN HONG KONG, AND

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