Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
6 December 1978
708
GT Rogers Esq
Civil Aviation International Relations Dipisic
Department of Trade
1 Victoria Street SW1H OET
Dear George,
CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS: CHINA
HKIS 184/1
LEIJED HI REQISTAY NO. 51
OR INDEX
675
No
-
8 DEC 1978
RY
•ction Ten
B = CE
1. Thank you for your letter of 28 November, enclosing a draft reply to Adrian Swire's letter of 15 November. I am sorry not to have replied earlier.
2. I agree generally with the line you propose to take, subject to three comparatively minor comments:
(1)
(11)
Adrian Swire is of course very familiar with the affairs of the region, and it is perhaps unnecessary to spell out the political background in quite so much detail;
It would, I think, be advisable to lay rather more emphasis on the interest that both we and Hong Kong have in there being an air services agreement with China;
(iii) While I agree that we cannot give as reassuring a reply as Cathay Pacific would like, the line we are taking with the Chinese in the hope of avoiding Taiwanese retaliation does perhaps justify a rather more optimistic conclusion.
3.
I enclose a revised version of your draft which takes account of these points. Please make whatever use of it you think fit.
wer
Yours
Joul
DF Murray