TNAG-1391-FCO40-1863-Future-of-Hong-Kong-briefing-for-meetings-and-visits-1985 — Page 170

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PRIME MINISTER'S MEETING WITH SIR Y K PAO, 30 APRIL: BRIEFING

1.

We spoke. I suggest you draw on the following paragraphs in preparaing briefing for the Prime Minister.

"Sir Y K Pao wrote to Lady Howe in January this year saying that he intended to visit the UK in June during Premier Zhao Ziyang's visit and would welcome the chance of participating in it. Sir Y K may raise this with the Prime Minister. If so, she might confirm that the visit will be from 2-8 June but say that the programme planning is still at an early stage; his interest will certainly be borne in mind.

Sir Y K has a specific and helpful interest in UK-China trade. Following his meeting with the Prime Minister in November last year he wrote to her about a Chinese proposal to build a steel mill at Ningbo on the East Coast of China. A consortium of UK companies led by Davy McKee has since been established to pursue the project, with support from HMG. Sir Y K has been closely involved and arranged for Davy McKee to hold discussions this week in Hong Kong with Vice-Minister from the Chinese Ministry of Metallurgy, the Mayor of Ningbo and the Deputy Governor of Zhejiang province. Mr Roger Kingdon, Chairman of Davy McKee, who accompanied Lord Young to China has also entertained a delegation this week from the Ministry of Metallurgy, led by a Vice Minister. The Ningbo project has figured largely in discussions and Sir Y K will doubtless wish to brief the Prime Minister on these"

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Mrs T Coe

Far Eastern Department W82

233 5539

25 April 1985

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