Cable No. 1582, Ambassador Sato to the Foreign Minister, 'Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and China Negotiations (14th Meeting)'

Number: (TA) R056750     5599

Primary: Asian Affairs Bureau Director-General

Sent: China, August 8, 1978, 17:05

Received: MOFA, August 8, 1978, 18:22

To: The Foreign Minister      

From: Ambassador Sato

Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and China Negotiations (14th Meeting)

No. 1582 Secret Top Urgent

(Limited Distribution)

The 14th meeting of these negotiations took place from 3:00 to 3:20 on the afternoon of the 8th. The following is a summary of the meeting’s main points. The participants from both sides and the place were the same as the previous meeting on the 7th.  

1. First, I said: If there is any view regarding our side’s proposal from yesterday, I would like to hear it. Vice Minister Han then answered that they were still examining it and that he had nothing to say. Therefore, saying that I wished to speak of the result of our communication with the home government and examination of the issues, following yesterday’s meeting, I said the following.

I recall that Vice Minister Han repeatedly said that he wanted the Japanese side to examine once more the Chinese side’s proposal of August 2. I consulted with the home government on whether there was some idea on how to reach a settlement. Here is what we concluded. In short, even if we base a settlement on the Chinese proposal of August 2, for various reasons it will be necessary to revise the wording. Then, what we thought would be the easiest for the Chinese side’s agreement would be the draft “The Contracting Parties, in concluding this treaty, solidifying and developing the relations of peace and friendship, do not intend to prejudice the interests of third countries,” which incorporates exactly the same wording as the first of the five points that both sides have in common, which Vice Minister Han put forward in the 7th meeting on July 31: “The Chinese and Japanese sides, in concluding the treaty of peace and friendship, solidifying and developing the relations of peace and friendship between both countries, do not intend to prejudice the interests of third countries.” I would like you to fully examine this draft. But there is one condition. That is that we absolutely retain Article 1 of the Japanese side’s draft. As I have explained before, Article 1 directly reflects what is written in the Joint Communique’s Article 8, and retaining the article is not contrary to the spirit of the Joint Communique.

2. In response, Vice Minister Han said the following:

The points in common of which I spoke on July 31 are the summary (note: in Chinese, guina xialai de) of the thinking expressed by the Japanese and Chinese sides from the first meeting to that time. (note: after Vice Minister Han consulting with Wang Xiaoyun, who was seated next to him, asked in a low voice “What do you say we examine this,” and Wang Xiaoyun nodded his head) We will examine it (the Japanese side’s proposal). We are not yet at the stage of working out the details of the text.

3. Then, I said, “I would like you to fully examine this draft. The political talks start tomorrow. Today may be the last of this kind of meeting that we have been having, which is why, in order to make it in time, I consulted with the home government and brought it. I intended this to be my final effort, so I would like you to fully examine it. Vice Minister Han then said, “Ambassador, did you say that this is your final effort? All right, then. We will fully examine it.” With that, we ended the meeting.

(End)