PP PEKING
GRS 375
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK04011
lavatud við StFY NO. 51
19 APR 1983
Q46
See (250)
See 259
1969 1
REGISTRY Agron Takan
W/ CM2214
-
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO 141645Z APR83
TO PRIORITY PEKING
PA
INCLY
TELEGRAM NUMBER 229 OF 14 APR
AND TO PRIORITY HONG KONG
LORD SHEPHERD
1.
LORD SHEPHERD HAS WRITTEN TO LORD BELSOEAD ON HIS RETURN TO
UK TO REPORT ON FUNG KING-HEY'S RECENT VISIT TO PEKING. FUNG
APPARENTLY RETURNED TO HONG KONG ON 12 APRIL.
2.
FUNG SAW LIAO CHENGZHI WHO TOLD HIM ABOUT THE PRIME
MINISTER'S LETTER AND SAID THAT IT WAS BEING VERY CAREFULLY
CONSIDERED AND DISCUSSED AND THAT IT MIGHT BE SOME TIME BEFORE A
FIRM REACTION TO IT WAS GIVEN. FUNG DID NOT SEE LETTER, BUT FELT
IT MIGHT HAVE EASED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO GOVERNMENTS. HE ALSO
HAD VERY STRONG IMPRESSION IN DISCUSSIONS WITH OTHER OFFICIALS
THAT THEY WERE NOW SPEAKING WITH A GREAT DEAL MORE CAUTION AND
LESS PROVOCATIVELY THAN EARLIER IN THE YEAR, UNDER INSTRUCTIONS
FROM THE TOP. FUNG HAD GONE TO PEKING WITH CONSIDERABLE ANXIETY,
BUT CAME AWAO FEELING MUCH MORE CONFIDENT THAT THERE WAS A
GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE HONG KONG PROBLEM ON THE QUESTION OF
CONFIDENCE AND THAT STEPS HAD AND WOULD CONTINUE TO BE TAKEN TO
TO COOL THE ATMOSPHERE.
3. FUNG ALSO SAID THAT XU JIA-TUN, FIRST SECRETARY OF JIANGSU
PARTY COMMITTEE FROM 1977, AND A MEMBER OF THE PARTY CENTRAL
COMMITTEE, HAD BEEN APPOINTED PERSONALLY BY DENG AND LIAO TO TAKE
OVER NCNA IN HONG KONG. HE IS DESCRIBED AS A PROFESSOR OF
FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND LANGUAGES, BUT APPARENTLY SPEAKS NEITHER
ENGLISH NOR CANTONESE. THE NUMBER 2 IN NCNA WOULD BE LI CHU-WEN,
WHO IS DIRECTOR OF THE SHANGHAI FOREIGN AFFAIRS OFFICE. LI IS
FROM CHEJIANG AND AGED 65: HE WAS A DELEGATE TO THE 12TH PARTY
CONGRESS. BOTH ARE WELL KNOWN TO FUNG, WHO SPEAKS HIGHLY OF THEM
AND SEES THEIR APPOINTMENT AS A MEANS OF PROVIDING THE PRC WITH A
CLOSER AND MORE INTIMATE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROBLEMS OF HONG
KONG.
RESEARCH DEPARTMENT'S VIEW IS THAT THE APPOINTMENT OF XU
1
CONFIDENTIAL