CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 119
OF 24034OZ JANUARY 90
TOP COPY Q DIST
045765
MDLIAN 2730
HKB 026/10
DIN
STRY
16 FEB 1990
NEFICE
WITH REFERENCE TO BTC HONG KONG TELNO 21 FOLLOWING NOW REPEATED TO FCO AT REQUEST OF POST.
CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO IMMEDIATE BTC HONG KONG
TELNO 11
OF 22092OZ JANUARY 90
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
REGISTRY
Action Taken
HONG KONG FOR POLAD
YOUR TELNO 6 CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE VISIT TO PEKING.
1. PROVIDING THE SENIOR REPRESENTATIVES CONCENTRATE ON DESCRIBING THE REALITIES OF THE PRESENT SITUATION IN HONG KONG, THEIR VISIT TO CHINA MIGHT BE A USEFUL CORRECTIVE TO THE CHINESE TENDENCY TO UNDERPLAY THE IMPORTANCE OF LOSS OF CONFIDENCE SINCE JUNE LAST YEAR.
2. THERE ARE, HOWEVER, A NUMBER OF PITFALLS WHICH THE GROUP NEED TO AVOID. IN PATICULAR THEY MUST BE SEEN BY THE CHINESE AS A
GENUINELY INDEPENDENT GROUP AND NOT AS A MISSION ORCHESTRATED BY EITHER HKG OR HMG. SECONDLY, THEY SHOULD CONCENTRATE ON THE ECONOMIC/COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF HONG KONG'S CURRENT SITUATION, WHICH ARE RELATED TO RECENT POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS, RATHER THAN APPEARING AS ANOTHER GROUP OF POLITICAL LOBBYISTS. IN VIEW OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE GROUP, TO DO OTHERWISE WOULD RISK FURTHER CHINESE ACCUSATIONS OF INTERNATIONALISING THE HONG KONG PROBLEM.
3. FOR THE ABOVE REASONS WE ARE RELUCTANT TO MAKE SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS TO THE GROUP FOR CALLS IN PEKING ON POLITICAL MATTERS. THE CHINESE COULD EASILY READ BACK INTO ANY LIST THE IMPRESSION OF A HIDDEN POLITICAL HAND. BY FAR THE BEST ADVICE WE CAN GIVE IS THAT THE GROUP SHOULD SPECIFY THEIR INTERESTS CLEARLY TO NCNA IF THEY HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO, AND MAKE SURE THAT NCNA HAVE
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CONFIDENTIAL