-5-
feeling towards China.
8.
(CS also stressed the importance of
agreement on the modalitiesfor extension of New Territories leases).
Mr. Boyd said that all this proved the importance of
good communications to Hong Kong, a point also made by the
Governor earlier in the day. There was something Lu Ping
should know. He would recall his discussions on civil
aviation with Mr. McLaren in September 1984, during the
negotiations, in the course of which we had explained our
separating the portions of UK ASAS with
intention of
third countries into UK and Hong Kong components.
Lu nodded.
Mr. Boyd said that we were now going to talk to a few partner
countries, with the aim of achieving a split.
The general idea
was to split the form rather than change the substance
This corresponded to the pattern envisaged
significantly.
in Section 9 of Annex I.
Lu did not react directly.
Across
the table he asked Qiao Zonghuai whether this had been discussed
in the JLG. Qiao said not. Li said ASAS figured on the
list handed over by the British.
Mr. Boyd said that we had
to get on with the Air Services, taking the natural windows of
opportunity and using as a criterion the ease or otherwise of
achieving a technical split.
There were twenty four ASAS,
approximately, to deal with and we had done nothing so far.
These could not be handled like the items on that very long list.
So we were starting to talk to one or two partners. We
The intention to split had
thought Lu Ping should know.
been made clear during the negotiations; indeed it underlay
the whole approach in Section 9. Lu again nodded at this
particular point. But he made no verbal response.