Mr Wilford
Mr Guest
CONFIDENTIAL
3.30
RV
Sir Deries Greenhill
MEETING BETWEEN MR Y K PAO AND ME ON 5 JUNE
HONG KONG REGISTER OF SHIPPING
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53
1
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When Mr Heseltine was in Hong Kong on 31 March/1 April
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he discussed the question of a separate Hong Kong register of
shipping with the Governor and representatives of the Hong Kong
shipowners, including Y K Pao, C Y Tung, Butterfield & Swire,
Jardines and Wah Kwong . Y K Pao has objected to being
bracketed with these others, but it is not quite clear why,
unless the British owners took too much of a UK line. No
Taiwanese or communist owners were consulted.
2.
Mr Heseltine left with the Governor a draft consultative
document which was to be discussed further with the Hong Kong
ship-owning industry and also with the UK shipping interests.
Since then the Hong Kong Director of Marine has circulated his
own paper in Hong Kong. This is a fairly disingenuous document
which appears to offer as a possibility things which Mr Heseltine
has said are not negotiable (eg the acceptance of Taiwanese
Masters certificates). The DTI have commented on this, rather
incoherently (FCO telegram No 513). But meanwhile the Hong Kong
owners were asked to indicate what tonnage they would be prepared
to put on the Hong Kong register on the basis of the concessions
offered or negotiable. The Governor has promised us an answer
by the end of May if possible. This has not yet come.
the Prime Minister is getting impatient.
Meanwhile
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