Third Round of Soviet-Chinese Negotiations: A Mutual Reduction of Armed Forces and a Strengthening of Confidence in the Military Field in the Border Region

for the third round of

the Soviet-Chinese negotiations on

a mutual reduction of armed forces

and a strengthening of confidence

in the military field in the border region

During the third round of negotiations the Chinese delegation declared that its main goal was the discussion of two issues with the Soviet delegation:

First: Concerning a shift to the development of a draft general agreement concerning the entire set of issues of a mutual reduction of armed forces and a strengthening of confidence in the military field in the border region.

Second: Concerning the possible content of a general agreement which should be based on the 24 April 1990 Agreement about the guiding principles. At the same time the Chinese side thinks that a provision of a political nature, the non-use of the armed forces of the parties deployed in the border regions to attack one another, should be reflected in the general agreement.

In the opinion of the Chinese delegation when agreement in this regard is reached at the Moscow round each Party will prepare its draft, then after some time the parties could exchange them, and on this basis begin to develop a joint draft of a general agreement at the Beijing round (the middle of June of this year).

The Chinese delegation proceeds from an understanding that the preparation of a joint draft of an agreement will require much time and effort, while individual quantitative parameters [will require] a comparatively long agreement.

In our view, on the whole the further holding of negotiations on the basis of the development of a general agreement fits into our conceptual view of the negotiations and existing instructions.

It would be advisable by the end of the Moscow round to express agreement with the idea of the development of a general agreement about the entire set of issues of the mutual reduction of armed forces, stipulating in the process that its substance will be based on the clauses of the Agreement about the guiding principles. Say that we will pass our draft of an agreement to the Chinese side as soon as it is prepared.

Bear in mind that experience gained in previous rounds and the corresponding instructions to the delegation will be used when drawing up our draft. The draft will be submitted for approval in the established procedure.

[signed]

(G. V. Kireyev) (Krivitsky)

8 April 1991 9 April 1991