CONFIDENTIAL
CIVIL AVIATION INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DIVISION 1
DEPARTMENT OF TRADE
5/14
уз
1 VICTORIA STREET
LONDON SW1H OET
Telephone Direct Line
Switchboard
01-2155123
01-215 7877
M StE Burton Esq CVO MAED
Government Offices
FCO
Great George Street London SW1A 2AH
Den Michael
CHINA
Mm. See
A. Cimalt Hili
Ammal Pritikal Adviser.
i trasy.
* FED
13 July 1981
When I passed through Hong Kong last month on my way to Seoul for negotiations with the Koreans, Brian Keep chaired a meeting at which Peter Webb was present from the Governor's office, as well as our usual contacts from CPA and the Hong Kong Government, to discuss air services with China.
2 The main point which Peter Webb had to make was that whatever else we might feel it necessary to do to CAAC in order to achieve over time a more reasonable balance of advantage on the regional services between Hong Kong and mainland China, the Governor would not wish to see any interuption of CAAC's unrequited services to and from Canton. I understood this to be a consequence of the special relationship between Hong Kong and Canton which ought not to be put at risk by any dispute about air services between Hong Kong and the rest of China. No-one around the table ventured to challenge this view, although it is not immediately apparent that cutting off air services - if it ever came to that would seriously affect communications between the two cities, given the alternative routes by road, rail and even hydrofoil, which together must carry much more traffic. But no doubt the air service has a particular symbolic importance.
3
The point on which I would like to have your considered advice in due course was a suggestion from Brian Keep, with the support of Michael Miles of CPA, that we ought to give serious consideration to allowing CAAC access to the cabotage route between Hong Kong and London. I rejected this out of hand, as I am briefed to do if the suggestion comes from the Chinese themselves, but on reflection I think we ought to give it some serious thought, and my purpose in writing to you is to ask whether the FCO would have any rooted political
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