Visa Polig/in
4
British Embassy
CONFIDENTIAL
11 Guang Hua Lu Jian Guo Men Wai Peking People's Republic of China
Telex 22191 Cable Prodrome Peking
RAJ Bunten Esq
Assistant Political Adviser
HONG KONG
39
Mr Fumess
Telephone 521961/2/3/4/5
Your reference
Our reference
Rena
plz
27417 AN ED 19/7
to tes
and to our
H.K. Trace
file
Date 29 June 1990 picio
HKB 345/1
Jen Rod
CALL BY CZECH AMBASSADOR
1. Many thanks for your letter of 27 June, which arrived 5 minutes before the Czech Ambassador.
2. Dr Borivoj Cuda's main purpose in calling was to convey his thanks for the rapid issue of a visa to enable him to accompany Wagener, one of President Havel's five economic advisers, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade, to Hong Kong.
3. The Ambassador had been personally very impressed by the contrast between Hong Kong and his normal environment in China. Trade with China would, he thought, go through a temporary decline as Czechoslovakia restructured its own economy to place more emphasis on light industry. Moving from a clearing arrangement to hard currency contracts would also tend to depress volume in the short term. As for trade with Hong Kong, Dr Cuda said the visit by Wagener was a first step. Czechoslovakia would be interested in purchasing some of Hong Kong's electrical and other light industrial products. The establishment of joint ventures with Hong Kong firms in Czechoslovakia lay further in the future, and would be dependent on the Czech and Slovak Government being able to provide guarantees to foreign investors on the repatriation of profits.
4. Finally, the Ambassador made tentative enquiries about the poss- ibility of a further visit by himself, accompanied by Madame Cuda, later this year or early next. I used your brief.
eve
You
дай
D Coates
Charge d'Affaires
CC:
HKD, FCO Є
CONFIDENTIAL