RESTRICTED
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
HKB
4 January 1990
381/1
BY
AY 1990
Laut order
REGISTRY
Miss SA Witherden Ministry of Defence First Avenue House Room 208
Elver
40-48 High Holborn
London WC1V 6HE
VDE
CLOSURE OF CLS HONG KONG
Thank you for your letter of 5 December in which you ask for an initial response to the interesting suggestion that the FCO might consider taking over the Chinese Language School in Kowloon. The FCO has a number of options for advanced Chinese language training under consideration but I fear that your proposal is unlikely to figure amongst them.
Our current arrangements, whereby we send students to the Chinese University of Hong Kong, are not ideal but they do have considerable merits. They are highly cost-effective and seem to us the best option until there is a realistic chance of setting up a course in the PRC, which remains our long term aim. In these circumstances it would not make sense for the FCO to take on commitments in terms of staff, premises etc, even if your "informal soundings" suggest that the British Trade Commission would be agreeable.
I am sorry if this reply is not as swift as you hoped but I can at least assure you that it is a considered reply rather than merely an initial one.
bcc P W Heap Esq CMG
BTC Hong Kong
Mr Stone, Hong Kong Dept
Mr McCleary, FED
T26AID
T T Macan
Training Department
AC
Hothed. R
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