TNAG-1166-FCO40-1446-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 26

+3

ник ској

FOR FACSIMILE

TO :

SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS ONG KONG,

FROM COMMISSIONER, LONDON OFFICE

REF

521/27

DATE

Paz 12/21

CC: MR C BURGESS & FCO (HKGD)

CONFERENCE ON HONG KONG

corpiaid to D. Morch

втенк

AJ Hunter Bonn.

น

WE HAVE BEEN TOLD BY MS MARION BIEBER, CONFERENCE 0.2 Minton

DIRECTOR OF "THE ECONOMIST" THAT "THE ECONOMIST" IS PLANNING

TO HOLD A TWO-DAY CONFERENCE PROVISIONALLY ENTITLED "THE

FUTURE OF HONG KONG" IN FRANKFURT ON JUNE 14 AND 15, 1982.

2.

"THE ECONOMIST" EXPECTS MORE THAN 100 PARTICIPANTS

FROM THE TOP ECHELCONS OF BANKING, BUSINESS, MANUFACTURING

AND ADMINISTRATION. THEY HOPE TO DRAW MOST OF THESE FROM

EUROPE, BUT ALSO EXPECT SIGNIFICANT PARTICIPATION FROM THE

UK AND HK. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE CHARGED SOME £300 FOR THE

TWO DAYS AT THE GRAVENBRUCH-KEMPINSKI HOTEL IN FRANKFURT.

TRAVEL THERE WILL BE AT PARTICIPATNS' OWN EXPENSE.

Frontful

в х

16/2-

Ви

month

noted

718

Plis 1812

3.

THE CONFERENCE IDEA WAS APPARENTLY FIRST MCOTED WITH

HER ABOUT A YEAR AGO BY MARK SCHREIBER (OF "THE ECONOMIST") See (77)

BUT HAS TAKEN SOME TIME TO TAKE SHAPE. IT IS SUPPORTED

BY THE HK AND SHANGHAI BANK WHICH (ACCORDING TO MS BIEBER)

SUGGESTED FRANKFURT AS THE VENUE. THE PROPOSAL SEEMS TO

HAVE BEEN PUT TO HK AND SHANGHAI BANK PR MANAGER, JAMES

DREAPER, LAST SPRING OR SUMMER.

4.

SHE SAYS TOO THAT TDC OFFICES IN BOTH FRANKFURT

AND LONDON ARE INTERESTED. TDC/FRANKFURT WOULD BE PREPARED

TO HELP CIRCULARIZE TO THEIR CONTACTS.

5.

WE LEARNED OF THE CONFERENCE PROPOSAL ONLY RECENTLY

AND QUITE BY ACCIDENT : WE RANG MS MARION BIEBER ABOUT

SOME OTHER CONFERENCE AND THIS ONE ON HONG KONG CAME OUT IN

THE CONVERSATION. WE HAVE SINCE HAD INFORMAL DISCUSSION

WITH DREAPER. MARION BIEBER HAS ALSO BEEN TO A MEETING

WITH MY STAFF (26.1.82) AND WE NOW HAVE THE DRAFT PROGRAMME

PROPOSAL