OR 347
RESTRICTED
FY PEKING 341207Z JAN 82
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELNO 10 OF 6 JANUARY
AND TO GOVERNOR HONG KONG.
RESTRICTED
PA
HIZIZ
02613
:
FOLLOWING FOR NEWS DEPT FROM WESTBROOK
PG0 11/1
LPS'S VISIT: PRESS CONFERENCE
MR ATKINS SAW THE BRITISH PRESS THIS EVENING AND ALSO GAVE AN
INTERVIEW TO THE PEKING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER, THE CHINA
DAILY.
PRIME MINISTERS VISIT
AR ATKINS SAID HE HAD TOLD THE CHINESE MRS THATCHER WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO ACCEPT THEIR INVITATION TO VISIT CHINA AT DATES TO
BE DECIDED BETWEEN 16 AND 29 SEPTEMBER.
HONG KONG
279
HICKE
O
04011
1981
THE LPS FOLLOWED THE LINE IN PARAGRAPH 8 OF YOUR TEL 975 TO HONG
KONG AND ADDED THAT HIS UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE CHINESE HAD SAID TO HIM WAS THAT IN ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM OF HONG KONG THEY
WOULD TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG AS A
FREE PORT AND VERY LARGE COMERCIAL CENTRE. MR ATKINS CONFIRMED THAT CHINESE REASSURANCES ABOUT INVESTMENT IN MONG KONG
HAD BEEN REPEATED THOUGH NOT IN PRECISELY THE WORDS USED DURING
LORD CARRINGTON'S VISIT AND SAID NO DATES HAD BEEN FIXED FOR A CONSIDERATION OF CONCRETE PROPOSALS. THERE WERE STILL MORE THAN 15 YEARS TO GO AND CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG REMAINED HIGH. IN
ANSWER TO UESTIONS, MR ATKINS SAID HE THOUGHTTHE CHINESE
UNDERSTOOD THAT SOMETHING WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE IN THE NEXT 5 OR
6 YEARS OR CONFIDENCE WOULD BEGIN TO SLIP.
AIR SERVICES
R ATKINS CONFIRMED THAT A REVIEW OF THE UK-PRC AIR SERVICES
ARRANGEMENTS WAS DUE IN THE SPRING, THOUGH DATES HAD YET TO BE
FIYED. IT WAS TIME TO ACHIEVE A BETTER BALANCE ON SERVICES BETWEEN
HONG KONG AND CHINESE CITIES,
RESTRICTED
HONG KONG
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