Paris, 6 December 1972

5628. Secret Immediate

China

I saw the PRC Ambassador at 1800 hours Paris time 6 December as arranged. The meeting lasted one hour and I was received in a most friendly fashion.

2. I gave the Ambassador the Prime Minister's message to Premier Chou En–lai.¹ The Ambassador commented that the Premier would be happy to have the message which he would transmit immediately to Peking.

3. I then handed over the draft communique² and explained it paragraph by paragraph as instructed. Finally, I spoke as directed in paras 3 and 4 of your telegram 5909.³

4. The PRC Ambassador then took over. He said that the PRC was most pleased by the Australian Government's approach. The previous Australian Government's policy had been out–of–date and sterile. Mr Whitlam had acted, on assuming office, with great and effective celerity. This demonstrated the importance he attached to relations with the PRC, an importance with which the PRC entirely agreed.

5. The Ambassador then made the following points of a more specific nature:–

(a) Once the joint communique had been agreed, Australia should declare, upon the issuing of the communique, that she intended to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan and to withdraw the Australian Embassy in Taipei and any other official representation in Taiwan and that this declaration would lead to the closure of all official Taiwanese representation in Australia.

(b) While the present negotiations between the PRC and Australia were going on, the Australian Government should prevent Taiwanese representatives in Australia from selling Taiwanese properties. Such selling had been done by Taiwanese representatives in some other countries and the practice had to be stopped.

(c) As regards para 4 of the draft communique, Mr Whitlam had in a speech in August gone farther by recognising that Taiwan was a province of China. He should do so again now. This was after all what the US and Japan had already done.

6. The Ambassador went on that while I had been well prepared for this meeting, Peking as well as Canberra had been working. He then produced another draft joint communique reading as follows:–
Begins:
' Draft joint communique of the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia.

The Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia, in conformity with the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non–aggression, non–interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence, have decided upon mutual recognition and the establishment of diplomatic relations as from ..... and agreed to exchange Ambassadors as soon as possible.

The Government of the Commonwealth of Australia recognises the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China and recognises that Taiwan is a province of China.

The Chinese Government and Australian Government have decided to provide all necessary assistance for the establishment and the performance of the functions of diplomatic missions in their respective capitals on the basis of equality and mutual benefit and in accordance with international practice.

Ends.

7. The two draft communiques, the Ambassador continued, were very similar and he himself did not foresee much problem in reaching an agreed text. He would immediately report to Peking and expected to have quickly further instructions. I would no doubt do the same and then another meeting, the last one, he hoped, could be arranged.

8. Referring to Mr Whitlam's desire for a rapid conclusion, I wondered aloud whether an agreement could be reached by Christmas. The Ambassador replied that as he saw matters, this should be entirely possible and he could even envisage that the Australian advance party could be in Peking by 1 January. I would not find the PRC holding up progress.

9. I asked whether I could host the next meeting. The Ambassador agreed immediately.

10. Para 4 of your telegram 5909 (trade arrangements with Taiwan) met no opposition. The Ambassador nodded what I took to be assent.

11. The Ambassador asked me at one point what representation Australia had in Taiwan and what the Taiwanese had in Australia. I replied that as far as I knew, Australian representation on Taiwan was confined to the Embassy at Taipei. As for Taiwanese representation in Australia, there was the Embassy at Canberra. I knew of no other representation but it was possible there was some representation in one or more of the State capitals. I would ask you to tell me.

12. The meeting ended with Chinese delicacies and wine and mutual toasts.

Comment

13. The whole interview was extremely agreeable, almost jovial. I was left with the distinct impression that the Chinese can be expected to match any speed of which we are capable. The Ambassador commented as I left that the whole question was all but resolved.

Renouf

[NAA: Al838, 3107/38118/6, i]

1 See footnote 2, Document 347.

2 Document 348.

3 Document 347.