TNAG-0485-FCO40-550-UK-publications-on-labour-and-social-conditions-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 76

RECEIVED REGISTRY No.52 26 SEP 1974

NC1315

ADVANCE

I MTD

Hd Ped

HO URIOD A-Flate-

Fin Wilford

FM PEKING 260650Z

TO PRIORITY FCO TELNO 718 OF 26 SEPTEMBER.

INFO HONG KONG (FOR GOVERNOR, BTC AND BCARFE) TOKYO

AND WASHINGTON.

HONG KONG TELNO 945 AND MY LETTER TO MALE UF 25 SEPTEMBER: AIR SERVICES.

+

1. THE BOOKLET HONG KONG., A CASE TO ANSWER" PUBLISHED RECENTLY BY SPOKESMAN ROOKS IN BRITAIN INCLUDES AT PAGES

35/36 THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE:

** CHINA PUT THE SAME PROPOSAL FORWARD AGAIN IN 1971, PRESSED THE POINT WITH THE BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY, SIR ALEC DOUGLAS-HOME, DURING HIS VISIT TO CHINA IN OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 1972, AND REITERATED IT STRONGLY DURING 1973. IN PARTICULAR, CHINA LINKED THE PROPOSAL WITH SEVERAL MATTERS CLOSE TO THE HONG KONG ADMINIST- RATION'S HEART: FIRST, THE POSSIBILITY OF A DIRECT HONG KONG-CANTON RAIL LINK (IE WITHOUT PASSENGERS HAVING TO DI SEMBARK AND WALK ACROSS THE FRONTIER) SEMICOLON SECOND, WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF DIRECT FLIGHTS FROM HONG KONG TO CHINA, AND WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS BEING GRANTED RIGHTS TO FLY INTO CHINA.

CHINA IS CURRENTLY PRESSING BRITAIN TO ADOPT A STRONG ANTI-TAIWAN LINE OVER THE AIRLINES ISSUE, SUGGESTING THAT CHINA AIRWAYS (TAIWAN) BE BARRED FROM HONG KONG AS PART OF A PACKAGE ALLOWING BRITISH AIRWAYS TO FLY TO CHINA......"

2. WHILST THE PASSAGE IS NOT ALTOGETHER ACCURATE, IT SHOWS SOME KNOWLEDGE OF THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF IMPLIED CHINESE THREATS AND OF THE NECOTIATION GENERALLY.

BY THE REFERENCE TO " A PACKAGE AND TO

(TAIWAN).

I AM STRUCK PARTICULARLY

''CHINA AIRWAYS

WHILST THE LATEST TENOR OF CHINESE NEGOTIATION MIGHT HAVE BEEN INFERRED FROM WHAT WAS SAID TO THE JAPANESE, IT COULD BE THAT THIS PASSAGE MAY ALSO OWE SOMETHING TO CHINESE EMBASSY BRIEFING.

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