GRS 230 CONFIDENTIAL
TO PRIORITY HONG KONG
RECAROR IN VATAY NO. 51
MAR 1980
CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING 060315Z MAR 80
TELEGRAM NUMBER 20 OF 6 MARCH
INDEX
do
PA
REGISTRY Action Taken
Ais 7/2
INFO PRIORITY FCO, MODUK, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.
YOUR TELNO.323 TO FCO AND FCO TELNO.164 TO ME:
see (16
INCIDENT IN DEEP BAY.
1. FIRST SECRETARY CALLED ON ZHENG YAOWEN OF WESTERN EUROPEAN DEPT, MFA ON 5 MARCH AND SPOKE ALONG THE LINES OF PARA 1 AND 2 OF YOUR TUR, PREFACING HIS REMARKS BY SAYING THAT HE WAS SPEAKING ON INSTRUCTIONS FROM HMG, WHO WISHED TO EXPRESS THEIR CONCERN AT CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE INCIDENT.
2. ZHENG REFERRED TO THE INCIDENT DESCRIBED IN PARA 3 OF YOUR TUR, BUT DID NOT SUGGEST THAT THIS IN ANY WAY JUSTIFIED THE CHINESE ACTION IN THE DEEP BAY INCIDENT. HE SAID THAT AS A CHINESE PATROLMAN HAD BEEN DROWNED THEN HIS COLLEAGUES HAD REACTED EMOTIONALLY' ON THE OCCASION OF THE SECOND INCIDENTK-
3. ZHENG COMMENTED THAT THE INCIDENT HAD APPARENTLY OCCURED LESS THAN 1,000 METRES AWAY FROM SHEKOU, BUT DID NOT IMPLY THAT THAT THE RN HOVERCRAFT WAS THEREFORE AT FAULT, SINCE HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT BOTH CRAFT WERE INVOLVED ON THE SAME JOB IN OUR MUTUAL INTEREST. HE AGREED WITH THE SUGGESTIONS IN YOUR PARA 2 THAT YOU SHOULD DISCUSS WITHTHE LOCAL CHINESE AUTHORITIES WAYS OF MINIMISING THE RISK OF INCIDENTS AND RESOLVING THEM SHOULD
THEY OCCUR.
4.
THIS REPLY APPEARS SATISFACTORY, AND AS CLOSE TO AN APOLOGY AS WE COULD REASONABLY EXPECT. WE HOPE THAT THE OUTSTANDING
ISSUES CAN BE RESOLVED LOCALLY.
CRADOCK
FILES HKYGD
PS
PS/LPS
FED
DEF, D
PUSD
SIL, D. MAITLAND SIR A ACLAND
TSİMR BLAKER MR CORTAZZ PS/MR RIDLEY MR MULLAY PS/MR HURD
NEWS.D PS | PUS
OID
MR J.C.MOBERLEY
CONFIDENTIAL
COPIES TO I
HONG KONG GOVT
OFFICE LONDON