Memorandum by the United Kingdom Delegation, Security Controls on Trade with China

Colom Doc, 50 copy 68 37 DEFEMENSECRET october 1951 SECRET TING DO NOT COMMITTEE SECURITY CONTROLS ON TRADE WITH CHINA 695707 MEMORANDUM BY THE UNITED KINGDOM DELEGATION 1. This memcrandum is being circulated as a result of discussions in the Co-ordinating Committee in September. 2. Previous discussions on this subject have shown that several member Governments have been applying to their trade with China controls more stringent than those agreed in the Committee for application against the Communist countries generally, These differences stem from the fact that the Chinese have military forces overtly engaged in the Korean hostilities against the United Nations Command. While recognising that some countries may wish to go further than others in denying strategic goods to China, the United Kingdom Government think it desirable that members of the Paris Group should agree on the minimum level of restrictions necessary against China in present circumstances and impose controls accordingly. The value of uniformity needs no emphasis, 3. The difference between the controls necessary in the case of a "hot" and a "cold" war is difficult to define. Much depends on the scale of hostilities and the call which they make on the general resources of the aggressor. In the case of the Korean aggression the United Kingdom Government have felt it necessary in addition to imposing a total embargo on exports to North Korea:- (a) to extend the embargo on exports to China so as to include all the following classes of goods: (1) all arms, ammunition, etc.; (11) all atomic energy materials and equipment; (iii) all International List I goods; (iv) all International List II goods; (v) certain other goods which are normally regarded as having a predominantly civilian use, but which a nation actively engaged in military operations would be likely to divert for the support of its military forces. (b) to maintain a general watch on the level of exports to China of other commodities, so as to detect any abnormal devel opments with a view to taking appropriate action if necessary in co-operation with other Governments. This policy is applied in the United Kingdom and in all its colonial and dependent territories. 4. The full list of goods subject to embargo on this basis is attached as Annex A. It is a list which the United Kingdom Government consider to meet the needs of security without exceeding the limits of a strategic embargo. It is recommended DECLASSIFIED /to the E.O. 13526 Authority RAC 3/14/12 NLT-KOREAN WAR-53-20-3 NARA JO Date 2/5/13