GRS 320
CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING 25083DZ JAN 79
CONFIDENTIAL
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 113 OF 25 JANUARY.
19411
HKK. 184
20. 51
PA
No
(60)
}
REG TAY Action Teken
PA
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG, CANBERRA (FOR ROGERS).
YOUR TELNO.45 AND OUR TELNO.70:
See.
UK/PRC AIR SERVICES.
1. FIRST SECRETARY ASKED JIANG ENZHU (CHIANG EN-CHU) OF WESTERN EUROPEAN DEPARTMENT ON 23 JANUARY WHETHER THE CHINESE
WERE YET IN A POSITION TO RESPOND TO OUR PROPOSAL. JIANG REPLIED THAT THE QUESTION WAS STILL UNDER CONSIDERATION.
2. SULLIVAN MENTIONED THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE AGREEMENT MIGHT BE READY FOR MR VARLEY'S SIGNATURE DURING HIS VISIT. APART FROM · THE POLITICAL PROBLEM, WE HAD ALREADY LET THE CHINESE SIDE KNOW WE WERE INTERESTED IN RENEGOTIATING SOME OF THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF THE AGREEMENT. AN EXPERT WOULD BE IN HONG KONG IN MID-FEBRUARY AND MIGHT PERHAPS BE ABLE TO VISIT PEKING AT THAT TIME IF IT SUITED THE CHINESE SIDE.
3.- JIANG PROMISED TO PASS ALL THIS ON.. REMINDED THAT IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO SETTLE THE OUTSTANDING DIFFIUCLTIES ON THE AGREEMENT BEFORE THE PRESENT ARRANGEMENT FOR GUANGSHOU-HONG KONG FLIGHTS EXPIRED, HE SAID THAT THE REASON FOR THE DELAY IN GIVING AN ANSWER WAS THE NEED FOR RELEVANT CHINESE DEPARTMENTS 'TO AGREE TO REACH A DECISION' ON OUR PROPOSALS.
4. WE HAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT THE CHINESE ARE THINKING THROUGH THEIR POSITION ON OUR PROPOSED STATEMENT IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR EVOLVING POLICY ON UNIFICATION AND TAIWAN.
IT WOULD BE AS WELL
TO LET THEM TAKE THE TIME THEY NEED. WITH YOUR PROSPECTIVE VISIT IN APRIL WE NOW HAVE AN OBVIOUS ALTERNATIVE FOR SIGNATURE
CONFIDENTIAL
/TO THAT OF
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