Cable from the British Embassy in Tokyo to the British Embassy in Seoul, 'Visit of Deng Xiaoping'

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Confidential

FM Tokyo 080700Z Feb 79

TO Immediate FCO

Telegram Number 101 of 8 Feb

INFO Immediate Seoul Washington and Peking

Routine Moscow and Hong Kong

Saving All EEC Posts

M.I.P.T (Not to All)

Visit of Deng Xiaoping

In briefing EEC ambassadors on 8 February on Korea Takashima said that Deng began by referring to the recent exchanges as a “good omen”. He said that the views expressed by North Korea had been the position of its govt not just non-governmental bodies.

2. Takashima went on to say that each of his Japanese interlocutors (Mr Chira, Mr Fukuda and Mr Tanaka) had asked Deng whether China would not open some sort of dialogue with South Korea.  They had done this at the urging of South Korean politicians who had recently come to Japan. Deng said that he did not think such a dialogue would be useful at this time. He did not want to put any pressure on North Korea. He said that he had told President Carter that the total withdrawal of all U.S. forces would not adversely affect the situation in the Peninsula. He was confident that North Korea would not launch an attack. He believed the military forces of North and South to be in balance. (Takashima commented that this last point did (not) represent the Japanese view).

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