RELATIONS WITH EC
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MDLIAN 5083
8. DURING THEIR TALKS, LI PENG STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE CHINA ATTACHED TO RELATIONS WITH THE EC AND ASKED GONZALEZ ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE EC, MAASTRICHT AND EC/US RELATIONS. IN HIS PRESS INTERVIEW, LI SAID THAT HE HOPED GONZALEZ'S VISIT WOULD HELP TO BRING ABOUT THE FULL NORMALISATION OF CHINA'S RELATIONS WITH THE EC. THE CHINESE PRESS QUOTED GONZALEZ AS HAVING SAID THAT CHINA'S RELATIONS WITH THE EC HAD MADE CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS, TO THE EXTENT THAT EC SANCTIONS NO LONGER HAD ANY REAL SUBSTANCE. QUOTING GONZALEZ VIA AN INTERPRETER, THE PRESS REPORTED HIM AS SAYING THAT WITH INCREASED CONTACTS, DEEPENED MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND EXPANDED POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC TIES, RESTRICTIONS ON CHINA NO LONGER MADE ANY SENSE. (LATER, THE SPANISH AMBASSADOR TOLD COLLEAGUES AT A COMMUNITY BRIEFING THAT GONZALEZ HAD BEEN MISREPRESENTED: HE HAD SAID ONLY THAT THERE WAS A MOVEMENT TOWARDS NORMALISATION.)
INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL QUESTIONS
9.
LI PENG TOLD GONZALES THAT WESTERN COUNTRIES SEEMED TO FEAR THAT CHINA MIGHT BECOME A MAJOR ECONOMIC POWER WHICH COULD BE A THREAT TO THE WEST. THERE WAS HOWEVER LITTLE LIKELIHOOD OF THIS HAPPENING FOR A LONG TIME TO COME. HE APPEARED RELAXED ABOUT PRESIDENT CLINTON'S CAMPAIGN REMARKS ABOUT CHINA, SAYING THAT THE AMERICANS WOULD NOT PURSUE IDEAS WHICH WERE AGAINST US INTERESTS. LI EXPRESSED PESSIMISM ABOUT THE FUTURE OF RUSSIA. IF THE ECONOMY COULD BE STABILISED THE POLITICAL SITUATION MIGHT IMPROVE, BUT THERE WAS A SERIOUS RISK OF MILITARY CONFLICT BREAKING OUT IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION. CHINA HAD ACHIEVED GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE CIS: 10 OF THEIR HEADS OF STATE HAD VISITED IN 1992. THE BASIS FOR RELATIONS WAS NATIONAL INTEREST, NOT IDEOLOGY.
10. IN HIS INTERVIEW LI COMMENTED ON STANDARD LINES ABOUT THE EMERGING NEW WORLD ORDER. CHINA EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO COOPERATE WIDELY WITH SPAIN AND OTHER UN SECURITY COUNCIL (UNSC) MEMBERS IN SEEKING RESOLUTION OF THE MANY CURRENT PROBLEMS. THE ROLE OF THE UNSC WAS TO SAFE GUARD WORLD PEACE AND SECURITY INSTEAD OF SERVING THE INTERESTS OF A FEW NATIONS, WHICH RAN COUNTER TO THE BASIC OBJECTIVES OF THE UN. THE ROLE OF NON-PERMANENT MEMBERS WAS CRUCIAL IN THIS PROCESS.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND CHINA'S OLYMPIC BID
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