dle
CAS 360
CYP CAT A
FM PEKING 248739Z JUL
CONFIDENTIAL
DESKBY 249900Z
CONFIDENMAL
Rare
HKK 184/1
R2.4*
INDEX
No
2 4 JUL 1978
OFFICER
TO IMMEDIATE FCO TELNO 452 OF 24 JUL. INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, DOT ALLOT (FOR ROGERS,
YOUR TELNO 358: AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT.
PA
>
91
RY
2:0 * Téken
CAIR).
435
Await
HK reactory
See 437 438
14438/6
1. ALTHOUGH THE CHINESE HAVE SHOWN NO WISH TO MOVE FORWARD
SINCE THEIR COMMERCIAL COUNSELLOR'S CALL ON ROGERS IN
JANUARY, THERE HAS BEEN SOME SMALL INDICATION AT THIS END OF POSSIBLE FLEXIBILITY ON THE CHINESE SIDE AND PERHAPS
EVEN A CHANGE IN THEIR PERCEPTION OF WHAT THEY WANT TO GET
OUT OF AN AGREEMENT. WE THINK THEREFORE IT WOULD BE USEFUL
FOR MR DELL TO RAISE THE SUBJECT WHILE HERE WITH A VIEW TO
DISCOVERING WHAT CHINESE INTENTIONS ARE.
2. A POSSIBLE INDICATOR OF FLEXIBILITY ON THE CHINESE
SIDE OCCURED RECENTLY WHEN AT A DINNER MR SUNG, THE ASSISTANT FOREIGN MINISTER, TOOK THE INITIATIVE IN RAISING
THE SUBJECT WITH MY COMMERCIAL COUNSELLOR AND SAID THAT A
PUBLIC STATEMENT BY HMG TO THE EFFECT THAT CHINA AIRLINES
WAS NOT A STATE AIRLINE WOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO OVERCOME CHINESE DIFFICULTIES. WHEN QUESTIONNED CLOSELY BY DAVIES
AS TO WHETHER THERE WERE ANY OTHER CONDITIONS HE SAID THERE
WERE NOT. THIS OF COURSE CONFLICTS WITH WHAT SUNG TOLD THE AMBASSADOR RECENTLY (PEKING TELNO 378), DUT, IF SUNG WAS CORRECT IN HIS ASSERTION, THE CHINESE APPEAR TO HAVE ABANDONED ALL THEIR DEMANDS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 1011
OF THE FIVE POINTS SET OUT BY WANG ON 10 SEPTEMBER 1974.
ON THIS ASSUMPTION IT WOULD-BE WORTH CONSIDERING WHETHER
WE COULD NOT ACCOMMODATE THE CHINESE. WE NOTICE IN PARAGRAPH
8 OF HIS LETTER TO CORTAZZI OF 13 FEBRUARY 1976 DONALD, THE THEN POLITICAL ADVISER IN HONG KONG CONSIDERED THAT WE
COULD PROBABLY SAY PUBLICLY THAT CHINA AIRLINES HAS THE
WORD LIMITED APPENDED TO IT AND THAT THIS IN OUR VIEW
MAKES IT CLEAR THAT IT IS A REGIONAL PRIVATE COMPANY AND
CONFIDENTAL
INOT A NAHONAL
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