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AIR SERVICES RELATIONS. SAMUEL EMPHASISED THAT THE UK POSITION VIS A VIS THE PRC AND TAIWAN HAD BEEN VERY CLEARLY SPELT OUT AT THE TIME OF OUR ESTABLISHING FULL DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH THE PRC IN 1972 AND THAT ALL SUBSEQUENT ARRANGEMENTS AND AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE
UK AND THE PRC WERE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THAT POSITION.
4. LIU DID NOT DWELL FURTHER ON THE POLITICAL ASPECTS BUT SAID HE THOUGHT THERE MIGHT BE PROBLEMS OVER THE COINCIDENCE OF CAAC AND CAL AIRCRAFT AT HONG KONG AIRPORT. ROGERS POINTED OUT THAT CAAC AIRCRAFT WERE ALREADY USING HONG KONG (HE INSTANCED THE RECENT CRAB CHARTERS) WITHOUT THIS CAUSING ANY APPARENT PROBLEMS. HE DID NOT SEE HOW THE SITUATION WOULD BE CHANGED BY THE SIGNING OF THE ASA SINCE THIS DID NOT PROVIDE FOR THE OPERATION OF ANY SCHEDULED SERVICES BY CAAC TO HONG KONG. HE EMPHASISED THAT THE HONG KONG CIVIL AERONAUTICAL AUTHORITIES WOULD, OF COURSE, CONTINUE TO PAY SPECIAL REGARD TO PRC SUSCEPTIBILITIES OVER THE JOINT USAGE OF HONG KONG AIRPORT BY CAAC AND CAL BUT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE, GIVEN THE CONSTRAINTS IMPOSED UPON US BY THE PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS THERE AND THE
VOLUME OF TRAFFIC, TO GIVE A 100% GUARANTEE THAT CAAC AIRCRAFT AND CAL AIRCRAFT WOULD NEVER MEET AT HONG KONG.
5. LIU ASKED IF WE HAD ANY OTHER PROPOSALS TO MAKE. ROGERS SAID THAT NEARLY FIVE YEARS HAD ELAPSED SINCE THE DRAFT ASA HAD BEEN DRAWN UP AND IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT BOTH SIDES NOW MIGHT WISH TO SUGGEST CHANGES. FOR INSTANCE, THE PRC HAD IN THAT TIME BECOME A MEMBER OF ICAO AND THAT IN ITSELF COULD LEAD TO CERTAIN CHANGES IN THE DRAFT. HOWEVER, HE WAS NOT ADVOCATING THAT CHANGES NEED NECESSARILY BE MADE AND HE WOULD BE PREPARED TO SIGN THE ASA AS IT STOOD TOMORROW, IF THAT WAS WHAT THE PRC WANTED.
6. THE MEETING CONCLUDED BY LIU SAYING THAT PERHAPS HTHERE HAD BEEN SOME MISUNDERSTANDING AS TO WHAT HAD PASSED BETWEEN MR DAVIS AND MR TSENG SHENG. THERE SEEMED NO REASON WHY WE SHOULD NOT PROCEED TO A FINALISATION OF THE ASA ON THE BASIS OF THE UK'S 1972 DECLARATION AND WITHOUT LOOKING SIDEWAYS TO WHAT HAD HAPPENED IN THE JAPAN/PRC SITUATION. IT MIGHT PERHAPS BE NECESSARY TO HAVE A CLEARER UNDERSTANDING OF THE HONG KONG AIRPORT SITUATION AND PERHAPS ALSO BOTH SIDES SHOULD CONSIDER WHETHER ANY CHANGES IN THE DRAFT AS IT NOW
/STOOD WERE
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