LONDON: The meeting between Mr Alexei Kosygin and Mr Chou En-lai in Peking yesterday [Sept 11] came as a complete surprise in Western diplomatic circles here. British officials declined all comments pending a close study of the far-reaching implications of the meeting.

Western diplomatic observers here were keenly interested in seeing how the Chinese would present the meeting and its initial outcome to the Chinese public and international opinion. One experienced Western diplomat thought that at this stage the meeting could only be the first step in any attempt to try to improve the current state of Sino-Soviet relations.

[Meanwhile, as reported from Washington,] The Sino-Soviet summit meeting was welcomed here as a possible ray of hope for an eventual peaceful settlement of the border dispute between the two Communist super-powers. News that the Peking summit had taken place came as a distinct surprise here as the Chinese Premier apparently had gone to great lengths to avoid seeing Mr Kosygin at funeral services in Hanoi.

Officials said that the United States welcomed attempts to solve a potentially explosive dispute between China and the Soviet Union in line with President Nixon’s belief that war between the two Communist powers would be a disaster for world peace. — Agencies

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2019