RESTRICTED
HKC 020/5
RESTRICTED
FM ATTC TAIPEI
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 89
OF 170826Z NOVEMBER 92
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, PEKING
(25)
055731
MOLIAN 5719
592
TOP COPY Q DIST?
PA
M4/M
TAIWAN.
HONG KONG TELNO 2692: CHINESE ATTACKS ON GOVERNOR'S MEETING WITH A TAIWANESE INDUSTRIALIST
SUMMARY
1. HSU PRIMARILY AN INDUSTRIALIST, BUT ALSO QUITE PROMINENT IN KMT. VISIT OF TRADE DIRECTOR GENERAL SEEN AS SIGNIFICANT HERE. TAIWAN TO OPEN NEWS AND CULTURE CENTRE IN TAIWAN.
DETAIL
2. THE MEDIA HERE HAVE REPORTED, MAINLY WITHOUT COMMENT, PEKING'S FURY AT HSU'S MEETING WITH THE GOVERNOR. ALTHOUGH HSU IS FIRST AND FOREMOST AN INDUSTRIALIST, THERE IS NO DENYING HIS STRONG ASSOCIATION WITH THE KMT, OF WHOSE CENTRAL STANDING COMMITTEE HE HAS BEEN A MEMBER SINCE 1988. AS WELL AS BEING CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIES (NFI) HE IS CHAIRMAN OF PRINCE MOTORS GROUP WHICH MAKES LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLES, AND OF COSMOS BANK. BUT MIXING BUSINESS AND POLITICS IS QUITE COMMON IN TAIWAN, AS THE CHINESE MUST KNOW ONLY TOO WELL, AND IT IS PATENTLY CLEAR THAT HSU'S CALL ON THE GOVERNOR WAS IN HIS NFI CAPACITY.
3. THE NCNA'S RANTINGS ABOUT TAIWANESE INDEPENDENCE AND 'ONE CHINA, ONE TAIWAN', (PARA 5 OF TUR) READ ODDLY HERE SINCE THESE ARE PRECISELY THE ISSUES WHICH ARE CAUSING RIPPLES WITHIN THE KMT, WHERE THE LEADERSHIP IS JUST AS OPPOSED TO BOTH THESE CONCEPTS AS ARE, I IMAGINE, THE AUTHORITIES IN PEKING. THE THOUGHT THAT THE GOVERNOR, BY SEEING HSU, MIGHT IN SOME WAY BE ENCOURAGING THESE MOVEMENTS IS CLEARLY NONSENSE. WHAT MAY REALLY HAVE RILED THE CHINESE IS THE SUPPORT WHICH TAIWAN HAS EXPRESSED FOR THE GOVERNOR'S DEMOCRATIC REFORMS (MY TELNOS 74 AND 78).
4. INCIDENTALLY, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE SEMINAR ORGANISED BY THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (PARA 4 OF TUR) INCLUDED DELEGATIONS FROM THE MAINLAND AND, ACCORDING TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN CHAMBER HERE, WAS A GREAT SUCCESS AND WAS CONDUCTED IN AN ENTIRELY NON-CONTROVERSIAL WAY.
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