DRAFT
CONFIDENTIAL
Brief for PUSS (CA&S) on Air Services for visit of Chinese Vice Minister of
Communications
Background
1
At the present time there are no scheduled air services between the People's
ану Republic of China and UK territory, including Hong Kong.
2
An Air Services Agreement was initialled in June 1973, under which the
UK obtained a route from London through Hong Kong to Peking while the Chinese
were granted a route from Peking and one other point in China to London. However
following Japanese compliance with certain Chinese conditions regarding Japan-Taiwa
services as a price for a China Japan link, the Chinese attempted to impose the
-
(Chinese Nationalist
acceptance of the following conditions concerning China Airlines (the Taiwanese
airline) (CAL) on us before they were prepared to sign the Air Services Agreement:
i
CAL should not maintain an office in Hong Kong.
ii
CAL should not station ground personnel in Hong Kong.
iii
Aircraft flying between Taiwan and Hong Kong should not carry the
insignia, emblem or flag of the so-called state of the Republic of
China (Taiwan). (We told the Chinese that we did not recognise
this flag as a national flag anyway).
iv
The name China Airlines should be changed so that it does not
include any reference to China.
V
HMG should confirm that it recognised the Chinese Government's
position that Taiwan was a province of China and that HMG only
recognised one China (this we were prepared to do).
CONFIDENTIAL