TNAG-0781-FCO40-985-Involvement-of-Hong-Kong-in-air-services-agreements-1978 — Page 237

CONFIDENTIAL,

GR 550

IMMEDIATE

DE BY 170100Z (HONG KONG ONLY)

CYPHER CAT A

Original at: HKK020|1

This Copy for:

FM F C 0 161807Z

Information oily / Action on

Pera(s)

CONFIDENTIAL

578

AKANo84/1 !!!

RECEIVLO WY PETISTRY NO. 51 17 OCT1973?

DESK

INDEX

I BLG:STRY İnction Teken

Sex (55

580 600

DESKBY 179100Z (HONG KONG ONLY)

TO IMMEDIATE PEKING TEL NO 630 OF 16 OCTOBER INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG (DESKBY 178100z).

MINISTE

VISIT OF THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER AIR SERVICES.

1.

DURING HIS TALKS WITH SUNG (F CO TEL NO 623 REFERS) CORTAZZI REFERRED TO THE DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND HUANG HUA ON AN AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT. HE COMMENTED THAT BRITISH NEWSPAPERS HAD REFERRED TO THE PROPOSED CHARTER FLIGHTS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CANTON AS A QUOTE REGULAR SERVICE UNQUOTE. MR HUANG

THE HAD REFERRED TO THE JAPANESE PRECEDENT. BUT UNLIKE JAPAN, UK HAD NEVER HAD AN AS A WITH TAIWAN, THE UK DID NOT RECOGNISE TAIWAN AND HAD NO RELATIONS WITH THE AUTHORITIES THERE.

2. SUNG SAID THAT HUANG HAD COVERED THIS QUESTION IN PRINCIPLE IN HIS TALKS WITH DR OWEN. HE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A MORE DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE CHINESE POSITION. IT WAS TRUE THAT NO FORMAL AIR AGREEMENT EXISTED BETWEEN THE UK AND TAIWAN. BUT IT WAS ALSO TRUE THAT THE SO-CALLED STATE AIRLINE, CA L, FLEW INTO HONG KONG AND HAD OFFICES THERE. IF THE UK AND CHINA OPENED AIR SERVICES, CAAC AND CAL PLANES WOULD BOTH FLY INTO HONG KONG. THIS WOULD BE TANTAMOUNT TO A QUOTE TWO CHINA'S SITUATION UNQUOTE IN HONG KONG AND WAS UN- ACCEPTABLE. IN PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS, CHINA HAD ASKED THAT THE INSIG- NIA ON C A L PLANES SHOULD BE REMOVED AND THE NAME REMOVED FROM THE CAL OFFICE IN HONG KONG. IN VIEW OF THE DIFFICULTIES THESE CONDITIONS POSED FOR THE UK SIDE, THE CHINESE SIDE HAD SUBSEQUENTLY SAID THAT THEY COULD BE LEFT OVER FOR LATER SOLUTION, BUT THAT THE UK SHOULD MAKE A STATEMENT THAT CAL WAS NOT A COMPANY REPRESENTING A STATE: THAT THE UK DID NOT RECOGNISE THE INSIGNIA ON CAL PLANES AS A NATIONAL FLAG: THAT C A L'S OFFICE AND THE NAME OF THE TAIWAN

/AIRLINE

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CONFIDENTIAL