기
CONFIDENTIAL
Cunous deed!
Tars/
205
Our ref: 020/301/1
Dr D C Wilson
Room W 71 FCO
SED
MKK040/5
2 8 JUL 1983
Enter
Tagree Sean Saried, Ø 25% 125/
MALTA/CHINA/HONG KONG
BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION
iken
KM 518
7 ST. ANNE STREET
FLORIANA
MALTA C.C.
TEL: 621285-9
21 July 1983
Should the not write & tik to ask them for their comment on This, nother than war for them to 'Spark!? OP 2577,
Mother
teapt
I thit we con
let
the comment, where the Cheiere and the mathese are concerned I should
Ethink anything is perille.
1. My French colleague has retailed to me a curious story, for which I have no other supporting evidence, but which I think should be reported for investigation. He asked that it should be treated in strict confidence.
2. Lecomte said that he knew for a fact that last week a Maltese delegation left to visit Hong Kong. The delegation was accompanied by a Chinese interpreter provided by the Chinese Embassy here (not actually a member of their staff but an interpreter who had come here some time ago,
presumably with Mme Chen Mu Hua's delegation) and the visit was, he claimed, arranged and promoted by the Chinese Ambassador in Malta.
3. Lecomte went on to say that the Maltese would only be contacting representatives of the Peking Government in Hong Kong and the object of their visit was, with Chinese encouragement, to look into the possibility of providing Maltese expertise in such subjects as banking and commerce in the years ahead "as the British progressively withdrew from running the colony".
4.
In other words, the almost incredible implication is that the Chinese are seeking Maltese help in providing themselves with expertise for the future administration of the colony. I naturally find this very difficult to believe but Lecomte was categoric that his information came from a reliable source.
ра
3W
centies
7
CONFIDENTIAL
15. It