TNAG-1291-FCO40-1643-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Macau-1985 — Page 10

(a) Visits by Officials to Taiwan

"Unofficial" visits by senior members of DTI would be a useful aid to improved trade. Lord Jellicoe specifically mentioned the possibility of a visit by Mr Hutton in this respect.

Lord Kindersley pointed out that Mr Dunning and Mr Sunderland had paid such visits in the past.

(e) "Trade Expansion Committee"

An informal meeting, over six months or so, of an ad hoc committee drawn from BOTB, ATTC and Taiwanese representatives to review progress and consider action.

(£)

Contacts Between FCO and Free Chinese Centre

Lord Jellicoe said that the FCC feld slighted because, unlike Majestic Trading, they were not permitted informal contacts with the FCO. Mr Currie pointed out that this distinction served to underline our insistence on a purely commercial relationship with Taiwan. The FCC was a front for the Taiwan MFA.

(g) China Airlines Landing Rights

Lord Jellicoe pointed out that CAL had landing rights in Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Such direct links greatly helped trade. Sir W Harding said that granting landing rights here would be a matter of extreme sensibility for the Chinese. Lord Kindersley drew attention to the extant CAL rights in Hong Kong. Sir W Harding pointed out that the Air Services section of the Hong Kong agree- ment had proved particularly difficult to negotiate. To seek CAL landing rights here was not realistic.

(h) Visas

Lord Jellicoe said that he had been subjected to considerable pressure during his visit about the time taken to issue visas to Taiwanese. Sir W Harding said that the suggestion for using Seoul as an alternative visa issuing post was a non-starter. Facilities were inadequate and there was a language problem. Lord Jellicoe agreed, mentioning that the suggestion had come from Mr John Hennings (ex-British High Commissioner, Singapore). Singapore was briefly discussed as an alternative. Lord Jellicoe said that he was aware of the forthcoming visit to Hong Kong by the Head of Migration and Visa Department and asked that the situation be carefully investigated by Mr Cambridge. Sir W Harding gave assurances that this woud be done. Lord Jellicoe wondered if a "Priority List" of potential visa applicants, to be produced by Mr Heathfield, might be useful. Perhaps Mr Heathfield might also hold a stock of visa application forms. Lord Kindersley asked if it was not too early to begin considering visa arrangements for post-1997. Sir W Harding pointed out that it was difficult to foresee the state of China-Taiwan relations at that time, but this was a point worth considering.

/4.

Sir