CONFIDENTIAL
Draft letter from A G Manzie to Sir Lawrence Kadoorie
Guangdong Nuclear Power Station Project
I think it might be helpful if I summarised my impressions of the
discussions you have had with Ministers and officials during your
visit.
You saw the Prime Minister and two other senior Cabinet Ministers
Sir Ian Gilmore (Lord Privy Seal) and Sir Keith Joseph (Secretary of
State for Industry). All expressed their keen interest in what
you had to say on this important project. The Prime Minister noted
that this was an opportunity that we must not let slip. The project
would be good for Hong Kong, and good for the United Kingdom. She
thought that the Chinese might well see the project as an earnest
both of their own and of Britain's faith in the future of Hong Kong.
They might also see it as a way to project the excellent political
relations between China and the United Kingdom into the commercial
sphere.
The political and economic importance of the project was also recognised
in your other discussions. Our general view is that the development
of projects which strengthen economic interdependence between Guangdong
and Hong Kong should tend to contribute to mutual vested interest
in Hong Kong's stability and thus should help to maintain business
confidence in the territory. A major project such as a nuclear power
station could well play an important role in reassuring investors,
about
ut China's interest in maintaining Hong Kong's status, although
it is unlikely that it will in itself provide a solution to the question
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Private notes are available after approval.