TNAG-1457-FCO40-1981-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1986 — Page 167

布政司署

CONFIDENTIAL

香港下亞厘畢道

本署檔號 OUR REF.: CR 1/1916/82 III

來函檔號 YOUR REF.:

CE Leeks Esq.

Hong Kong Department

え

FCO

Dear Clinton,

MON

RA

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

fouls. Par she

е

should we be chasing

yo comments?

Tangan 27/~

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

Copied to fes.

17 February 1986

Ni haglen

for fs. There is a history bel, & on reflect I the woshd be equin this (+ the other papers) &fes!?

}

бе

сдеј

Further to my letter of 5 December 1985, I can

con

now report on the third meeting of the China Relations Committee held on 18 January.

2.

John Boyd reported to the meeting on the Border Liaison Review Meeting held last November. We reported on this to you by telegram at the time.

3.

As follow up to the previous meeting, we considered a paper by the Secretary for Transport on the likely growth in ferry services between Hong Kong and China. While the general indications are that there will be an increase in such services, we have very little concrete information from the Chinese. We are therefore seeking to sound them out on this during trips across the border.

4.

The first major subject of discussion was the question of introducing embarkation fees for travellers to China. We had picked up tentative indications from the Chinese that they were considering imposing a charge to recover some of the enormous operating costs of their new complex at Lowu Station. The meeting agreed that there were no objections to the concept of introducing embarkation fees for travellers to China but that this should not be done until facilities at exit points merit such a charge. John Boyd was authorized to follow up initial soundings with the Chinese. In the event, the Chinese have now backed off. It seems that during a visit to Shenzhen by State Councillor Gu Mu, it was decided that the State should buy out the Hopewell share of the Lowu building, and that the Chinese would not now be imposing any charge. However, the signals we have been getting are not altogether clear since the

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DEX

- 3 MAR 1985

in iken

CONFIDENTIAL

PA

AB 3/3

/..Deputy.