Met Prime Minister of Australia [John Malcolm] Fraser at the airport on a one-hour stop-over from Peking, Canton, Hongkong to Australia.
He had interesting news. His foreign minister, Minister [Andrew] Peacock had opened up the question of the Spratleys and the Chinese had told him—apparently Foreign Minister Chiao [Qiao Guanhua] that they did not intend to follow up their statement of policy on the Spratleys with any action. “They would hang it up.” “They did not want anything to disturb the relations with the Philippines.” The same policy applies to Vietnam.
And PM Fraser says that the Chinese Prime Minister Hua Kuo Feng told him on his questioning that they did not intend to let party to party relations disturb government to government relations.
Which is a farther extension of assurance given to me “and Harry Lee” that the Chinese would not intervene in our internal affairs.
He denied the news story of his proposing an alliance of the U.S., China, Japan and Australia to defend Asia. He says it was never proposed nor taken up.
He will suggest to the U.S. that the Chinese felt left out by the Russia-U.S. talks on detente, Salt talks, etc. And that the U.S. should talk with the Chinese more. He goes to Washington in July.
No Official Gazette entry for this day.