TNAG-0963-FCO40-1182-Air-services-between-China--Hong-Kong-and-the-UK-1980 — Page 10

00 HONG KONG

GRS 203

CONFIDENTIAL

TOP COPY

AKIC 184/2

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51 0 5 NOV 1980

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

REGISTRY

H

Action Taken

see (20

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO 031515Z NOV 80

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 985 OF 3 NOVEMBER

مل

of ill

AL

PERSONAL FOR CHIEF SECRETARY AND SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES

FROM GOVERNOR

AIR SERVICES TO CHINA

1. AM TOLD DOT PROPOSE TO REFUSE TO DISCUSS WIDER CHINESE PROPO-

SALS UNTIL EXISTING AGREEMENT IMPLEMENTED (I.E. HKA FLYING TO

SHANGHAI). I DISAGREE BECAUSE:

(A) HKA IS SOMETHING OF A FIDDLE AS AT PRESENT CONSTITUTED AND HAS

GIVEN CHINESE A PRETEXT WHICH THEY BELIEVE LEGITIMATE FOR

BLOCKING SHANGHAI FLIGHTS. BUT

(B) THIS PRETEXT HAVING BEEN GIVEN, IT WILL BE USED TO PURSUE REAL

CHINESE OBJECTIVE WHICH IS CHINESE SERVICES THROUGH KAI TAK.

THEREFORE WE SHOULD DISCOVER WHAT CHINESE PROPOSALS ARE OVER

LATTER IN PARALLEL WITH PRESSING THEM OVER MINIMUM REQUIRE-

MENTS OVER FORMER.

(C) IN ANY CASE, WE SHOULD MAINTAIN DIALOGUE.

(D) PROLONGED ABSENCE OF SCHEDULED FLIGHTS TO SHANGHAI NOT IN HONG

KONG'S WIDER INTEREST.

2.

I AM ALSO CONCERNED THAT IF DOT ARE SUCCESSFUL IN FORCING

AGREEMENT TO SHANGHAI FLIGHTS AS CONDITION FOR DISCUSSION OF WIDER

ISSUES, THEY MAY SUBSEQUENTLY REFUSE TO GIVE ON LATTER AND APPEAR TO BE IN BREACH OF FAITH.

3.

GRATEFUL FOR ADVICE DESKBY 040900Z PERSONAL TO CLIFT.

CARRINGTON

DIST

LIMITED

HKGD

MAED

FED

PS/MR BLAKER

MR DONALD

CONFIDENTIAL