Hier 026/3
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OR 340
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FM PEKING 361200Z JAN 82
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELNO 10 OF 6 JANUARY
AND TO GOVERNOR HONG KONG.
нки
02615
13 JANITA
FOLLOWING FOR NEWS DEPT FROM WESTBRQ OK
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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
R 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
Plas 13/1
HICK 040/1
279
1981
THE LPS FOLLOWED THE LINE IN PARAGRAPH 8 OF YOUR TEL 975 TO HONG
YONG 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 HONG 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 QUESTIONS, MR ATKINS SAID HE THOUGHT THE CHINESE UNDERSTOOD THAT SOMETHING WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE IN THE NEXT 5 OR
6 YEARS OR CONFIDENCE WOULD BEGIN TO SLIP.
AIR SERVICES
MR 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.
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HONG KONG
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