TNAG-1177-FCO40-1479-Air-services-between-Hong-Kong-and-South-East-Asia-1982 — Page 38

GR 630

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 290348Z DEC 32

TO PRIORITY F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1528 OF 29 DECEMBER

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INFO PRIORITY HANOI, PEKING, MANILA, SINGAPORE, BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR.

YOUR TELNO 1057 : HONG KONG FLIGHT INFORMATION REGION

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LU RUILING MET DCA HERE ON 14 AND 15 DECEMBER. XU XIYAO, DIRECTOR OF FLIGHT OPERATIONS AND XIAO ENXI, ASSISTANT CHIEF GENERAL DISPATCHING OFFICE, CAAC WHO HAD JOINED LU AND HIS PARTY

FROM PEKING ALSO ATTENDED.

2. LU MENTIONED THREE OPTIONS FOR THE RAN CONFERENCE TO CONSIDER

REGARDING THE FORMER SAIGON FIR:

(A) TO RETAIN THE STATUS QUO, BUT WITH THE AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (AOR) INCORPORATED INTO THE HONG KONG FLIGHT INFORMATION

REGION (HK FIR), OR

(B) PRC TO INCORPORATE THE AREA INTO THE CANTON FIR ON THE

GROUNDS OF THE PRC'S SOVEREIGN CLAIMS TO MOST OF THE SOUTH

CHINA SEA. LU ADMITTED THAT THERE WERE DIFFICULTIES' WITH THIS

PROPOSAL, OR

(C) VIETNAM TO RESUME CONTROL OF THE AREA 1.E. STATUS QUO ANTE

APRIL 1975, IN ACCORDANCE WITH AIR NAVIGATION PLAN AGREED AT

1973 RAN.

LU ASKED FOR HONG KONG'S VIEWS ON THESE PROPOSALS, NONE OF WHICH

COINCIDED WITH THAT REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN PUT TO GROVES IN LONDON.

3. KEEP (DCA) COMMENTED AS FOLLOWS:

OPTION A

THERE WERE CAPACITY PROBLEMS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF HONG

KONG'S PRESENT AOR, BECAUSE, IN THE SBSENCE OF RADAR COVERAGE,

PROCEDURAL CONTROL HAD TO BE USED. THE RAN MIGHT THEREFORE

CONSIDER SOME CHANGES NECESSARY.

OPTION B

THE PRO'S EVIDENT EQUIPMENT AND MANPOWER DIFFICULTIES MEANT

THAT THE PRC COULD NOT IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE EXERCISE CONTROL

OF THE AREA AT ISSUE. HE NOTED THAT UNDER THIS OPTION SEARCH

AND RESCUE SERVICE WOULD NEED TO BE PROVIDED BY PRC. FOR THESE

REASONS, THE PROPOSAL MIGHT NOT ATTRACT MUCH SUPPORT AT THE RAN.

OPTION C

HE UNDERSTOOD VIETNAM MIGHT HAVE SOME DEGREE OF COMMITMENT

FROM ICAO TO THIS OPTION. STATES PRESENT AT THE RAN WOULD HAVE

TO CONSIDER VIETNAM'S ABILITY TO PROVIDE SATISFACTORY CONTROL.

IF RAN CONCLUDED THAT VIETNAM HAD SUCH ABILITY, THE UK WOULD

CONFIDENTIAL

/BE