TNAG-0869-FCO40-1079-Air-services-between-China--Hong-Kong-and-the-UK-1979 — Page 147

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CONFIDENTIAL

A PEKING 08:700% AUG 79

PRIGRITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 703 OF 8 AUCUST

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG.

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4KK 1841

LEIVED IN PAGISTRY NO. 51

- 9 AUG 1979

DESK OFFICT

YOUR TELMO,439: UK/PRC AIR SERVICES AND GATUCK.

STRY

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1. FIRST SECRETARY CALLED ON QIAN ZEMIN OF CAAC TODAY AND

SPOKE AS INSTRUCTED IN PARA 2 OF YOUR TUR, PUTTING THE ISSUE IN THE CONTEXT OF PREMIER HUA'S VISIT (AS I HAD DONE O!! 2 AUGUST

IN MENTIONING THE PROBLEM TO WANG BENZOU OF WESTERN EUROPEAN DEPT MFA).

?. QIAN SAID THAT HE WOULD PASS THE MESSAGE ON TO LU, BUT

THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO SEND A TEAM TO

LONDON IN EARLY SEPTEMBER. THE CHINESE SIDE, IN AGREEING TO EARLY CONSULTATIONS, HAD NOT AGREED TO SEND A TEAM. HE

WONDERDO WHETHER THIS WAS REALLY NECESSARY. CAAC ALSO HOPED

THAT THE ISSUE COULD BE RESOLVED PRIOR TO SIGNATURE OF THE

AGREEMENT, FOR WHICH PREMIER HUA'S VISIT WOULD BE A SUITABLE CCCASION. SOTH SIDES ATTACHED GREAT SIGNIFICANCE TO THE AIR

SERVICES AGREEMENT AND HOPED FOR SPEEDY AND SATISFACTORY IMPLEM-

ENTATION, WOULD IT NOT THEREFORE HE POSSIBLE FOR THE BRITISH

SIDE TO AGREE TO CAAC USING HEATHROW ?

SULLIVAN SAID THAT HE HAD NOT REALIZED THAT CAAC HAD

DECIDED THAT IT DEFINITELY WISHED TO USE HEATHROW: HE UNDERSTOOD

TAY THEIR POLITION WAS THAT THEY VICHED TO HAVE THE OPPURTUNITY

OF CHOOSING BETWEEN THE TWO AIRPORTS AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION,

WIEN OTAN CONFIRMED THAT THEY HAD INDEED DECIDED IN FAVOUR OF

HEATHROW AND THEREFORE DID NOT NEED TO SEND A TEAM, SULLIVAN PROMISED TO REPORT THIS, BUT URGED CAAC TO RECONSIDER, POINTING CUT THAT OUR TEAM, IN DISCUSSING THE QUESTION AMONG THEMSELVES,

MAD THOUGHT THAT CAAC HOULD BE QUITE LIKELY TO CHOOSE GATWICK

IF GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXAMINE THE SITUATION AT BOTH AIRPORTS FOR THEMSELVES. IN TERMS OF SPACE, FACILITIES, COSTS, ACCESSABLILITY, DOMESTIC CONNECTIONS AND OGRNECTIONS TO AFRICA (TO AND FROM WHICH MANY PEKING TRAVELLERS ALREADY TRANSIT

LONGON), GATWICK WAS EQUAL 15 NOT SUPERIOR TO HEATHROW,

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