HICD.
27
HKB 020/
Dear Domine 7
تسمه
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
19 September 1989
Taiwan and Hong Kong
закугову
Miss Marsden W29
Charles Powell wrote to Stephen Wall on 1 August about Mr Tom Arnold's visit to Taiwan. We are sure that the line suggested by the Prime Minister is the right one to take with Mr Arnold. I am sorry that you have had to wait so long for this reply.
The Taiwanese approach to Tom Arnold fits into a pattern of discreet but unmistakable efforts on their part to capitalise on the present disenchantment with China. Inveigling the British Government into talking about Hong Kong would be a major coup. Unless there is any real advantage for us, we should therefore be very wary of going too far down this particular road. There is little that the Chinese would take as more convincing evidence of our bad faith than if we were publicly seen to be discussing the future of Hong Kong with the Kuomintang.
The Taiwan authorities are not noted for their discretion. They have already publicised Mr Arnold's visit and his meeting with Premier Li Huan. If at any time, they judged it to their advantage to let slip to the press that we were in communication with them, they would not hesitate to do so.
Nor are they averse to embroidering the truth and building much out of a minor event.
The Hong Kong Government would certainly welcome more investment and tourism from Taiwan. But Hong Kong's private sector relations with Taiwan are already developing at a steady pace without any need of official encouragement. Hong Kong people can also settle in Taiwan without much difficulty if they wish to do so. We therefore see no justification for governmental contacts with the Taiwan authorities at this stage,, even through discreet channels. Such a step would risk putting us in breach of the 1972 Joint Communiqué when we established diplomatic relations with Peking.
Nevertheless, it goes without saying that we would be most interested to hear what Mr Arnold has to report after his next visit to Taiwan. We see every advantage in Tom Arnold, or indeed other MPS, visiting Taiwan in an IDU
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