Canberra, 9 December 1972
6025. Secret Priority
China
Your tel. 5663.1
All three examples are acceptable to us.
2. The first example is deliberately ambiguous in its wording, and was included in case the PRC was not prepared to accept wording which more plainly met our legal point.
3. The rationale of the example is that ‘have today decides upon . . . the establishment of diplomatic relations’ means on our view simply that the decision (underline one) to establish was taken ‘today’ . with actual establishment necessarily corning later. In the case of ‘mutual recognition’ . however, the decision requires no follow–up action and takes immediate effect.
[NAA: A1838, 3107/38/18/6, i]
1 8 December. It asked whether the three examples cited in paragraph 5( c) of Document 354 were acceptable to the Australian Government. In Renouf’s opinion the first example was not acceptable whereas the second and third examples were acceptable.