Thursday, 15 December

Nephew, Dao Shaohua (杜紹華) came. I took him to find a hostel and introduced him to Chengzhi so that they could discuss doing a joint business venture. It is because his elder brother recently took over the hardware department of Lane Crawford. When his elder brother asked him to come here, he had been in liaison with various contacts for him. Shaohua had studied medicine in Hong Kong University for several years but did not graduate. Recently he was an apprentice at Wilkinson & Grist Solicitors. Originally, he was to come to Britain to take an examination. Because of new regulations, he has to wait until next year. Therefore, he came here. He seems to be quite honest.

Tass reported that the Soviet Union has pledged to give India one million tons of steel sheets (within three years), plus the machinery and materials needed for kerosene ores and other ores in India. At the same time, the Soviets would increase their purchase of Indian agricultural and industrial products.

News from Washington says that at a White House conference it was decided that the United States would change its policy with regard to external assistance.  External assistance would be increased substantially by US$300 million. The two ghosts compete and the human can get the benefit.

Unexpectedly, the representative of the National government exercised the Republic of China’s veto power with regard to Outer Mongolia in joining the United Nations. Therefore, the Soviet Union also exercised its veto power, so all eighteen countries could not join the United Nations. To my mind, such action by the Taipei authority is really a malpractice because the status of the Taipei authority itself is already very low, and it is dependent upon the support of the Americans and the moral sympathy of anti-communist countries. Now it disregards the benefits of friendly-states and just acts waywardly. I do not know how it can survive. I am afraid that the date for when Taiwan will be expelled from the United Nations would not be distant. The so-called young faction of the National government is not prudent enough. It is really miserable for those sophisticated officials who tried their utmost for the country.