TNAG-0868-FCO40-1078-Air-services-between-China--Hong-Kong-and-the-UK-1979 — Page 214

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CONFIDENTIAL

R 315

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 170909Z MAY 79

TO PRIORITY FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

TELNO.596 OF 17 MAY,

INFO PRIORITY: PEKING,

ROUTINE : HONG KONG GOVT OFFICE LONDON.

ரு

HKK 184/2. P.A

KELEIVED WA

18 MAY 1979

از

INDEX

T. ken

ло

718.5

&

Sex 113

FOLLOWING FOR SAMUEL (FED) AND MCLARE

N (HKGD)

FROM POLITICAL ADVISER.

MY TELNO.583: AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT.

1. DURING MEETINGS WITH ROGERS WE DISCUSSED AT SOME LENGTH

OUR VIEW THAT THE CHINESE WERE LIKELY TO INSIST ON SEPARATE

ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE ''REGIONAL'' SERVICES BETWEEN HONG KONG

AND CHINA AND FOR THESE TO BE AGREED DIRECTLY BETWEEN D.C.A

HONG KONG AND CAAC GUANGZHOU. WE REPEATED THE VIEW, ALREADY

RECORDED IN EARLIER TELEGRAMS, THAT WE WOULD HAVE NO OBJECTION

TO SUCH AN ARRANGEMENT AND COULD INDEED SEE AN ADVANTAGE IF

IT AVOIDED A WRANGLE ABOUT THE STATUS OF HONG KONG.

2.

ROGERS ARGUED THAT A LOCAL ARRANGEMENT OF THIS SORT WOULD

NOT BE ACCEPTABLE SINCE

(i) SCHEDULED SERVICES MUST BE NEGOTIATED BY THE DEPARTMENT

OF TRADE ON BEHALF OF H.M.G AND

(11) SUCH A LOCAL ARRANGEMENT WOULD UNDERMINE H.M.G'S POSITION

ON SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG.

THE FIRST ARGUMENT IS OF COURSE FAMILIAR AND NOT ONE TO WHICH WE WOULD WISH TO OBJECT. WE WOULD SEE ANY LOCAL ARRANGEMENT,

IF THAT IS WHAT THE CHINESE INSIST ON, AS BEING UNDER THE

UMBRELLA OF D.O.T AND H.M.G'S APPROVAL. THE ARGUMENT ABOUT

SOVEREIGNTY SURPRISED ME. AS SEEN FROM HERE, NOTHING WOULD BE LOST IN TERMS OF SOVEREIGNTY BY A LOCAL ARRANGEMENT SUCH AS THE

CHINESE SEEM TO BE ENVISAGING. THE THROUGH TRAIN IS A SIMILAR

LOCAL ARRANGEMENT.

CONFIDENTIAL

3. SINCE ROGERS