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MDLI
151761,
6343*
AND TAIWAN. TRYING TO STOP CHINA BY OSTRACISING IT WOULD NOT WORK AND ATTEMPTING TO PUT THE BRAKES ON ITS ECONOMIC GROWTH WOULD MAKE IT EVEN MORE XENOPHOBIC.
5. LKY DID NOT SEE THE CHINESE LEADERSHIP BEING ABLE TO PREVENT CHANGE. HE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND US IMPATIENCE. THE CHINESE WOULD CHANGE BECAUSE THEY WERE ASHAMED OF BEING BACKWARD, NOT BECAUSE OF PRESSURE FROM CONGRESS.
6. LKY REGRETTED THE DIFFICULTIES HMG WERE FACING OVER MAASTRICHT. IT SEEMED THAT THE QUESTION OF BRITAIN'S FUTURE IN EUROPE WAS BEING REOPENED. MR GOODLAD REASSURED HIM THAT THE TREATY WOULD BE RATIFIED.
PRIME MINISTER GOH
7. MR GOODLAD DREW GOH'S ATTENTION TO THE RECORD LEVELS OF BRITISH TRADE AND INVESTMENT WITH SINGAPORE AND THE EVER INCREASING NUMBERS OF BRITISH BUSINESSMEN COMING HERE. MR NEEDHAM WOULD BE BRINGING A BUSINESS DELEGATION IN JUNE. THE POUND MADE BRITISH EXPORTERS AND CONTRACTORS EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE. THE UK WOULD BE THE FIRST EC COUNTRY TO COME OUT OF RECESSION.
8. GOH AGREED THAT THERE WERE MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR BRITISH COMPANIES, ESPECIALLY THOSE ABLE TO COLLABORATE WITH SINGAPOREAN COMPANIES ON REGIONAL PROJECTS.
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9 MR GOODLAD DEFENDED THE UK'S POLICY ON HONG KONG BUT GOH MADE LITTLE COMMENT, POSSIBLY PREFERRING TO LEAVE THAT ISSUE TO LKY. HE EXPECTED LITTLE FROM THE CAMBODIAN ELECTIONS AND FORESAW CIVIL WAR IF THE UN PULLED OUT. HE HOPED UNTAC'S MANDATE WOULD BE EXTENDED. MR GOODLAD SAID THAT WOULD BE EXPENSIVE AND MIGHT NOT WORK. IT WOULD BE BETTER TO BOLSTER THE NEW GOVERNMENT. CHINA WOULD PROBABLY WASH ITS HANDS OF THE KHMER ROUGE: GOH AGREED. HE SAID THAT SINGAPORE SHOULD BE COUNTED OUT OF ANY PEACE-KEEPING FORCE IN BOSNIA.
10. GOH WAS BULLISH ABOUT THE PROSPECTS FOR ASEAN GROWTH AND ACCELERATION OF THE TIMETABLE FOR INTRA-ASEAN TARIFF REDUCTIONS. DESPITE THE SPRATLEYS ISSUE HE DID NOT EXPECT PROBLEMS BETWEEN CHINA AND VIETNAM. HE DID NOT RULE OUT LONG TERM ASEAN MEMBERSHIP FOR VIETNAM BUT THE IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVE WAS TO INTEGRATE IT INTO THE REGIONAL ECONOMY.
11. GOH APPEALED FOR THE UK TO TAKE A MORE ACTIVE PART FROM TIME TO TIME IN FPDA EXERCISES. HE UNDERSTOOD THE PROBLEMS OF DISTANCE
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