TNAG-1235-FCO40-1548-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 26

GRS 250

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FROM PEKING 09090OZ FEB 83

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 136 OF 9/2/83

REPEATED FOR INFO TO PRIORITY HONG KONG

TOP COPY

Никою //

1

FER 1983

{

и) Ariun AF 14 k

FUTURE OF HONG KONG.

POSSIBLE VISIT BY REPRESENTATIVE OF HONG KONG AND SHAGHAI BANK.

1

1. MICHAEL LANGLEY, THE PEKING REPRESENTATIVE OF THE HONG KONG

AND SHANGHAI BANK CALLED TODAY TO SEEK ADVICE ON A POSSIBLE VISIT BY HIS DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, HAMMOND, TO PEKING AT THE END OF APRIL, WITH THE OBJECT OF CALLING UPON LIAO CHENGHZAHI. THOUGH HE HAD LIT-

LE INFORMATION ON WHAT WAS INTENDED, HE ASSUMED THE SUBJECT WAS THE

FUTURE OF HONG KONG. PRELIMINARY CONTACTS SUGGESTED SUCH A VISIT

COULD BE ARRANGED. BUT HE HIMSELF WAS DOUBTFUL WHETHER IT WAS A GOOD

IDEA.

2. I SAID A DECISION MUST BE FOR THE BANK TO MAKE. MY IMMEDIATE

PERSONAL REACTION WAS THAT IT MIGHT BE A GOOD THING IN THAT

IT WOULD ALLOW LIAO TO MEET SOMEONE WHO WAS BOTH EXPERT AND MORE

ROBUST THAN MOST OF THE VISITORS FROM HONG KONG. BUT I SHOULD

LIKE TO REFLECT BEFORE GIVING HIM FIRM ADVICE.

3. I ASKED WHETHER THE CHINESE WOULD NOT PREFER TO SEE SANDBERG

RATHER THAN HAMMOND. LANGLEY SAID THIS WAS HIS OWN VIEW BUT

SANDBERG WAS RELUCTANT ON THE GROUNDS THAT HE WAS A MEMBER

OF EXCO. I SAID THIS HAD NOT BEEN A BARRIER IN THE CASE OF VISITS

BY EG NEWBIGGING.

4. GRATEFUL FOR COMMENTS. I HAVE PROMISED AN ANSWER B Y 17 FEBRUARY.

CRADOCK

(THIS TELEGRAM WAS NOT ADVANCED]

FUTURE OF HONG KONG

LIMITED

HD! HKGD

ED/FED

ED/PLANNING STAFF

ED/PUSD

PS

MR COLES

MR MARTIN

PS/LORD BELSTEAD

PS/MR HURD

PS/FUS

MR GIFFARD

MR DONALD

SIR J BULLARD

COPIES TO

SIR I SINCLAIR

MR ROBERTS

LEGAL ADVISER

NEWS D

NO 10 DOWNING STREEM

ASSESSMENTS STAFF

CABINET OFFICE

CONFIDENTIAL

See

ཡ————མ

127