TNAG-0869-FCO40-1079-Air-services-between-China--Hong-Kong-and-the-UK-1979 — Page 4

285

G25 MOD

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING 3198457 DEC 79

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1939 OF 31 DECEMBER

HKK 184/2

- 2 JAN 19

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

い

* _ • g

Y NO.

RE

Aue

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG (FOR ACTING GOVERNOR AND BCARFE), DOT (FOR BRYANT (AIR DIVISION)

AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT.

LAST PAPER

1. MR YAO GANG, A DIRECTOR OF SWIRES, CALLED TODAY TO BRIEF ME ON HIS INFORMAL TALKS WITH THE DIRECTOR GENERAL AND A DEPUTY

DIRECTOR OF CAAC ON AIR SERVICES.

2. YAO TOLD US THAT ONCE THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD DESIGNATED CPA AS THE REGIONAL AIRLINE FOR THE HONG KONG-SHANGHA! ROUTE (WE HAVE NO REPORT OF THISLN HE ARRANGED A PRIVATE VISIT TO PEKING IN ORDER TO MAKE A COURTESY CALL ON CAAC. HE SAW SHEN TU, THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF CAAC AND A FELLOW STUDENT AT PEKING UNIVERSITY IN THE LATE 1940S, ON 3 DECEMBER. ACCORDING TO YAQ, CAAC MERE STILL DISTURBED AT THE CHOICE OF GATWICK AS THEIR LONDON TERMINAL AND WORRIED THAT THE PROPOSED NEW METROPOLITAN ROUTES WOULD CREATE OVER-CAPACITY BETWEEN CHINA AND WESTERN EUROPE. THEY WERE MORE CONCERNED TO IMPLEMENT THE REGIONAL SIDE OF THE

AGREEMENT. THEY INTENDED TO INVITE A BRITISH AIRWAYS TEAM TO PEKING TO DISCUSS DETAILED IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT IN THE NEAR FUTURE? BUT HAD NOT SPECIFIED A DATE.

AT THIS MEETING CAAC WOULD PROPOSE AGREEMENT ON IMPLEMENTING REGIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THIS WOULD COVER:

(A) CPA SERVICE BETWEEN HONG KONG AND SHANGHAI TO WHICH THE CHINESE WOULD NOW HAVE NO OBJECTIONS:

(B) CAAC SERVIES BETWEEN HONG KONG AND SHANGHAI, HONG KONG AND

•

PEKING, AND HONG KONG AND FOUR OTHER CHINESE CITIES:

(C) A BRITISH AIRWAYS SEXOICE BETWEEN HONG KONG AND PEKING OPEN TO THE GONERAL PUBLIC AND IN THE SAME RATIO TO CAAC HONG KONG- PEKING SERVICES AS THAT ORIGINALLY AGREED FOR THE PEKING-LONDON

SERVICES.

CONFIDENTIAL

13.