SECRET
布政司署
香港下亞厘畢道
TSX 1/78
本署檔號 OUR REF:
* Your Ref.:
R D Clift Esq
Mr. Williams to J 26.1
This is
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
17 January, 1981
see (14A)
is discernaging.
We she take into account in
Hong Kong & General Department FOO
HICK OHoll
RECEYLO IN REGISTRY NO. 51
29 JAN 1981
TIN SHU WA PERK OFFICER
INDEX
Jus
PA
412.2
in the general questi
apmithy or
REGISTRY
Action Taken
1h 184
tachis
frit obs pl
·
Let me see ayan
23\
Thorolhave been some further developments on Tin
Shui Wai since I last reported on 24 December about rumours See of how China Resources were intending to deal with the question of a lease for the project.
2.
You will recall from other papers that Edmund Lau, the General Manager of the Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company, has a close personal relationship with Liao Chengzhih. Lau went up to Peking in late December where he saw Liao and during a private discussion, asked about the Tin Shui Wai project. This was on his own initiative and without prompting from us.
3.
Liao Chengzhih said he had received a report from NCNA about what the Secretary for the New Territories had said to China Resources. According to Edmund Lau, Liao was annoyed that China Resources should go beyond their brief by getting involved in matters such as leases stretching beyond 1997. He said they had not initially consulted NCNA on the subject and went on to say that he hoped the Hong Kong Government would not issue a lease for this project going beyond 1997.
4.
Although one cannot be sure of the detailed accuracy of Edmund Lau's reporting, we decided as a result of this exchange that I should put on record with the NCNA what David Akers-Jones had said about different types of leases and how he had only done so as part of an effort to authenticate messages allegedly coming from China Resources. We also wanted to make it absolutely clear that we had no intention of going ahead with a special lease for Tin Shui Wai unless we had explicit confirmation that this was what Peking wished.
I therefore spoke to Li Jusheng, the Second Director of NCNA, on 14 January. You will see from the attached record of conversation that NCNA denied that China Resources either
5.
SECRET
/contd.