GRS 40%
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTTÄT.
HKE 184/2
CESA
IND #
- 2 JUL 1979
PA
See ag
M PEKING 28038OZ JUN 79
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 595 OF 29 JUNE
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG.
190
MY TELNO.587: AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT.
(1917)
1. IN ACCORDANCE WITH UNDERSTANDING RECORDED IN PARAGRAPH 1 OF TUR, THE DELEGATION DELIVERED TO CAAC ON 25 JUNE REVISED DRAFTS WHICH THEY HAD PREPARED OVER THE WEEKEND AND WHICH INCRP- ORATED MOVEMENT TOWARDS THE CHINESE POSITION ON SOME OF THE CUTSTANDING POINTS.
2.
HOWEVER, AT A FURTHER PLENARY SESSION THAT AFTERNOON, 1.0 WAS AT HIS WORST. HE MADE NO ATTEMPT AT NEGOTIATING BUT CO.STANTLY PLAYED TO THE GALLERY. HE FINISHED UP BY SAYING THAT HE WAS NOT PREPARED TO DISCUSS FURTHER THE QUESTION OF DA'S STOPOVER RIGHTS IN HONG KONG.
3. DURING A CONVERSATION WITH VICE MINISTER ZHANG WENJIN ABOUT OTHER MATTERS ON 26 JUNE, THE AMBASSADOR ACCORDINGLY MENTIONED THE NEGOTIATIONS AND SUGGESTED A MEETING WHERE THE MFA, CAAC, THE DELEGATION AND THE EMBASSY WERE ALL REPRESENTED TO TRY TO
RESOLVE THE FEW REMAINING PROBLEMS. A MEETING WAS HELD ON 27 JUNG ATTENDED SY SHEN TU AND LU RUILINN FROM CAMC, AND SONG ZHIQUANG FROM THE MFA. THE AMBASSADOR AND ROGERS REPRESENTED OUR SIDE.
4. SHEN TU TOOK AN UNYIELDING POSITION. HE OPENT ALMOST AN
HOUR DETAILING ALL OF THE CONCESSIONS THAT THE CHINESE HAD MADE (INCLUDING THE AMENDMENT OF THEIR FIVE POINTS ON THE POLITICAL ISSUE), AND ARGUED THAT WE SHOULD BE PLEASED THAT THE CHINESE MAD GONE SO FAR RATHER THAN BE DISAPPOINTED THAT THEY WERE NOT
PREPARED TO GO FURTHER. IT BECAME CLEAR FROM HIS REMARKS AND FROM MFA INTERVENTION THAT IN RESTRICTING BA'S RIGHTS ON THE HONG KONG/ PEKING SECTOR THE MAIN CHINESE CONCERN WAS WITH THE COMMERCIAL EFFECTS OF BA'S COMPETITION BOTH ON THE TRUNK ROUTE AND BETWEEN HONG KONG AND PEKING. HONG KONG'S STATUS WAS NOT MENTIONED, HOT WAS THERE ANY HINT ADOUT A POSSIBLE PUBLIC STATEMENT.
CONFIDENTIAL
/5.AFTER THE
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