布政司署
香港下亞畢道
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166
R D Clift Esq
نمله
SECRET
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272
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
9 November, 1979
13 NOV 1929.
The Gitazzi
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J14.4
Enter and to:
Box 500 Box 850
Apy thirran Thr Bone (Research Dept)
Hong Kong & General Department 2. As Williamson
F CIO
lick
DISCUSSIONS WITH NCNA: ECONOMIC RELATIONS
On the leases, this conversation confirms that we shall need to wait a while yet before taking a new initiative; but it provides invaluable background to Chinese thinking, to help decide what live to take when we do again consider how to tackle the problem.
W5.1.13/11
LEASES, IMMIGRATION" AND
On 1 November the Governor gave a small private dinner for Wang Kuang, the First Director of NCNA. LI Jusheng, the Second Director and two other members of
NCNA attended. The idea was to have an informal gathering for Wang (who had himself been away) before the Governor's departure.
2.
The Chinese made it the occasion for a pretty thorough, and in some parts illuminating, tour d'horizon. We therefore responded in kind. I have divided the record into a confidential section covering general points about immigration and economic affairs, and a secret section covering discussion of the New Territories leases issue. Both are
enclosed.
3.
What Wang had to say about leases and the future was particularly interesting. As a gloss on the enclosed record I should add that Wang's warning about the possible repercussions of either a "legal" or "political" solution to the problem at the moment appeared to be spoken from the heart. Although his remarks about waiting for equalisation of standards of living before making a move may be unrealistic, he clearly felt that, for the time being, there are insuperable political difficulties in making progress over the leases. We got the impression that he was advising us to wait until the political and economic scene in China, and in Guangdong in particular, had stabilised further.(13) He is no doubt right in believing that joint ventures etc. can both help this process and generate more mutual confidence; this is one reason why we support such efforts. But Wang is certainly wrong to believe that these developments can in themselves afford an alternative solution, to the problem of "the future".
сс
RJT McLaren Esq (FED FCO)
TJB George Esq (PEKING)
(D C Wilson)
SECRET
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