TNAG-0868-FCO40-1078-Air-services-between-China--Hong-Kong-and-the-UK-1979 — Page 193

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GR 680

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY FCO 240880

DESKBY HONG KONG 2403602

FM PEKING 247125Z MAY 79

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

CONFIDENTIAL

TELEGRAM NUMBER 479 OF 24 MAY 79

AND TO IMMEDIATE GOVERNOR HONG KONG

밴드 18.4/2

RELIVED IN RES. ENU. ¡¡

2 9 MAY 1979

DESK OFFICE

INDEX

ما

See Tab

MY TELNO 470: UK/PRC AIR SERVICES NEGOTIATIONS 1. AT TODAY'S TETE-A-TETE, LU AND ROGERS DISCUSSED A

NUMBER OF POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS THAT HAVE

EMERGED. THE TWO LEADERS HAVE ESTABLISHED A CLOSE

RAPPORT AND ARE ABLE TO CONVERSE FREELY WITH EACH OTHER.

AT THE END OF A LENGTHY SESSION, THEY CONCLUDED THAT SOLUTIONS COULD BE FOUND IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER TO ALL THE PROBLEMS WITH THE SOLE (AND VERY IMPORTANT) EXCEPTION

OF THE HONG KONG - PEKING ROUTE.

REGISTRY

2. THE CHINESE POSITION ON THIS REMAINS FIRMLY THAT APART

FROM A LIMITED AND TEMPORARY CONCESSION TO BA, TO TIDE

THEM OVER UNTIL THE END-TO-END TRAFFIC HAS BUILT UP TO A-

LEVEL THAT WILL SUSTAIN DIRECT SERVICES, CAAC MUST BE THE

SOLE OPERATOR ON THIS ROUTE. IN ANSWER TO ROGERS'

QUESTIONING, LU HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO PRODUCE ANY BETTER EXPLANATION THAN BEFORE IE THAT PEKING IS THE CAPITAL CITY

OF CHINA AND THAT SERVICES BETWEEN HONG KONG AND PEKING BY A

BRITISH OPERATOR ARE IN CHINESE EYES QUITE DIFFERENT FROM

SERVICES BETWEEN HONG KONG AND OTHER POINTS. NO AMOUNT OF

TWISTING AND TURNING WOULD SHIFT LU ON THIS ISSUE AND IT

APPEARS THAT WHILE HE MAY HAVE CONSIDERABLE SCOPE FOR MANOEUVRE ON OTHER POINTS, THIS ONE IS FIRMLY WRITTEN

INTO HIS BRIEF.

3.

ROGERS TRIED OUT ON LU, WITHOUT COMMITMENT, THE IDEA THAT IF THE OBSTACLE TO A BRITISH SERVICE BETWEEN HONG

KONG AND PEKING AROSE FROM A POLITICAL HANGUP THE CHINES:

MIGHT MAKE A PUBLIC STATEMENT EXPLAINING THAT NONE OF THESE

REGIONAL ARRANGEMENTS COULD BE TAKEN AS REPRESENTING A

DEROGATION OF THE CHINESE POSITION REGARDING THE STATUS OF

HONG KONG. ROGERS EMPHASISED THAT YOU HAD YET TO BE

CONSULTED AND HE DID NOT SUGGEST ANY PRECISE FORM OF WORDS:

BUT A POSSIBLE TEXT IS IN MY FIRST IFT LU UNDERTOOK TO

TGY THIS IDEA OUT ON HIS COLLEAGUES.

Taken

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CONFIDENTIAL

14. OTHER