TNAG-0869-FCO40-1079-Air-services-between-China--Hong-Kong-and-the-UK-1979 — Page 14

PEKING TL 132

430

RESTRICTED

TELELETTER

FROM T J B GEORGE, PEKING

FILE REF: 181/548/1

15 AUGUST 1979

FOLLOWING FOR MISS A E STODDART, MEAD, FCO.

YOUR UNDATED TL:

HANDLING OF CIVIL AVIATION MATTERS.

1. I AM NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR ABOUT THE STATUS OF BCARFE, WHETHER HE IS AN OFF-SHOOT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRADE OR A MEMBER OF A NUMBER OF EMBASSIES WHO, BECAUSE OF HIS SPECIAL- ISATION, IS CONVENIENTLY LOCATED AT A CENTRAL POINT. COULD YOU PLEASE ADVISE ON THIS. I WOULD EXPECT THAT THE AMBASSADOR, WHO WILL NEED TOBE CONSULTED BEFORE A FINAL DECISION IS TAKEN, WOULD WISH TO ENSURE THAT IF BCARFE WERE ACCREDITED HERE, HE WOULD REMAIN UNDER THE EMBASSY'S OPERATIONAL CONTROL, THOUGH SUBJECT OF COURSE TO INSTRUCTIONS FROM LONDON.

2 THAT SAID, I EXPECT THAT AFTER SERVICES BETWEEN LONDON AND CHINA START THERE WILL BE A NUMBER OF ISSUES ON WHICH IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO HAVE EXPERT ASSISTANCE, WHETHER FROM DOT DIRECT OR FROM BCARFE. BUT, PARTICULARLY IN VIEW OF BCARFE'S LOCATION IN HONG KONG WE WOULD NOT WISH IT TO BE THE CASE THAT ONLY HE COULD HANDLE AIR SERVICES MATTERS IN CHINA. ALL RELEVANT CORRESPONDENCE WOULD NEED TO BE COPIED BOTH TO THE EMBASSY AND TO HIM, AND WE WOULD EXPECT TO DO MUCH OF THE WORK, CALLINGON HIS SERVICES AS NECESSARY OR AS HE WAS AVAILABLE.

3. AS BCARFE WAS NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN AIR SERVICE NEG- OTIATIONS IT IS PROBABLY RIGHT TO CONSIDER EXTENDING HIS ACCRE D- ITATION AFTER SERVICES BEGIN. WE WILL AIM TO TIE UP THE LOOSE ENDS LEFT OVER FROM THE INITIALLING OF THE AGREEMENT, WORKING WITH DOT.

4. WE MAY BE ABLE TO GET ROUND THE PROBLEM OF FORMAL ACCRED- ITATION. I SEEM TO REMEMBER THAT IN 1973, AT THE TIME OF THE LAST ROUND OF AIR SERVICES NEGOTIATIONS, THE IDEA OF ADDING PEKING TO BCARFE'S LONG LIST OF ACCREDITATIONS WAS FULLY AIRED AND REJECTED. THE PAPERS SHOULD PERHAPS BE TURNED UP. THERE MIGHT WELL BE NO INSUPERABLE POLITICAL DIFFICULTY OVER ACCRED- ITATION IN PEKING. THINGS HAVE MOVED ON SINCE 1973: WITH THE GROWING EASE OF OUR RELATIONS VIZ A VIZ HONG KONG FOR INSTANCE, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING UP THE CHINA TRADE SECTION OF THE BRITISH TRADE COMMISSION AND HAVING SOME OF THE STAFF THERE ACCREDITIED IN PEKING THOUGH RESIDENT IN HONG KONG. WE NEED TO SEE HOW THIS EXPERIMENT WORKS OUT BEFORE FINALLY DECIDING ABOUT BCARFE'S ACCREDITATION. IF IT WERE THOUGHT RIGHT TO EXTEND HIS REMIT TO PEKING IN THE MEAN TIME, THERE SHOULD IN ANY CASE BE NO DIFFICULTY IN ARRANGING FOR HIM TO VISIT PEKING OR GUANGZHOU INFORMALLY. INDEED IT MIGHT WELL BE BEST TO WAIT UNTIL WE SEE WHETHER THE BCARFE POST IS CONTINUED AFTER 1981 BEFORE TAKING A FORMAL DECISION ON ACCREDITATION.

5. THIS REACTION IS COMEWHAT QUALIFIED, BUT WITHOUT THE INFORM- ATION ASKED FOR IN PARA 1 IT IS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO GIVE A STRAIGHT ANSWER.

SIGNED ...

T J B GEORGE

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