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AT SOME OTHER UNSPECIFIED TIME. THE NCNA HAD THEN IN TURN THEMSELVES HOSTED A LUNCH EARLY IN JANUARY FOR LIKELY PARTICIPANTS, ALTHOUGH NO-ONE FROM THE BRITISH CHAMBER WAS ABLE TO BE PRESENT. THE NCNA REPRESENTATIVES THEN SAID THAT THEY FAVOURED SUCH A VISIT, HAD SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE DATES IN FEBRUARY AND IN MARCH AND HAD ALREADY MADE PROVISIONAL GUEST-HOUSE BOOKINGS, A FURTHER MEETING CALLED BY PAUL CHENG A FEW DAYS AGO DISCUSSED DATES. CHENG HAD SAID THAT THE JAPANESE APPEARED TO HAVE DROPPED OUT. REPRESENTATIVES OF SEVERAL OTHER CHAMBERS AT THAT MEETING HAD APPARENTLY SAID THAT THEY WOULD NOT PARTICIPATE IF THE BRITISH CHAMBER DID NOT DO SO.
4. MAIDMENT TOLD THE CHAMBER MEETING THAT HE HAD DISCUSSED THE PROPOSED VISIT WITH YOU WHEN SEATED NEXT TO YOU A THE JOINT HONG KONG GENERAL CHAMBER AND BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LUNCH ON 15 JANUARY, AND THAT YOU HAD SAID IT WAS A GOOD IDEA THAT SHOULD BE SUPPORTED. HE SAID THAT AT THE SAME LUNCH, WIGGHAM, SECRETARY GENERAL DUTIES, HAD ALSO SUPPORTED THE IDEA.
5. ALL OF THIS WAS NEW TO US EXCEPT FOR THE INFORMATION IN MY TUR
WHICH WAS GIVEN TO HAYWARD A DAY EARLIER.
6. HAVING GIVEN THIS BACKGROUND, MAIDMENT SAID THAT HE WAS NOW LESS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT PARTICIPATING IN SUCH A VISIT, PARTLY BECAUSE OF NEW TENSIONS ARISING FROM THE LATEST SESSION OF THE BASIC LAW DRAFTING COMMITTEE, AND PARTLY BECAUSE HE HAD JUST HEARD THAT THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER WAS HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT THE
ADVISABILITY OF THE VISIT TO PEKING AND WERE PULLING OUT. IN THE
ENSUING DISCUSSION THERE WAS LITTLE ENTHUSIASM FOR THE PROPOSAL
AMONG COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND ALMOST NONE FOR A VISIT IN THE NEXT FEW
WEEKS. I SAID THAT THE PROPOSED MESSAGE TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WAS ONE THAT WE WERE CONVEYING THROUGH VARIOUS CHANNELS, AND THERE WOULD CLEARLY BE MERIT IN IT ALSO COMING FROM BUSINESS CIRCLES. HOWEVER THERE WERE REASONS FOR CAUTION A MULTI NATIONAL VISIT FROM
HONG KONG WITH A BRITISH COMPONENT MIGHT BE SEEN BY THE CHINESE AS SOMETHING ENGINEERED BY THE HONG KONG OR BRITISH GOVERNMENTS. IT ALSO SEEMED STRANGE THAT THE NCNA SEEMED KEEN ON THE VISIT, WHICH SUGGESTED THAT PERHAPS THE CHINESE WISHED TO EXPLOIT IT FOR THEIR OWN ENDS.
·
7. THE MEETING CONCLUDED THAT CHENG SHOULD BE TOLD THAT THE CHAMBER WOULD NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE BUT DID NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF DOING SO LATER ON.
8. THE BRITISH CHAMBER REMAIN UNCERTAIN HOW TO HANDLE THIS. ANY
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