TNAG-1533-FCO40-2097-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-closed-camp-policy-1986 — Page 17

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- 3 DEC 1986

Mr Masefield FED

THY Men Taken

Mek 3/2

CONFIDENTIAL

From: P J Westmacott Date: 19 November 1986

CC: PS

PS/PUS

Mr Gillmore

Dr Wilson

Mr Hum, HKD

Mr Houston PRU

My Litt

правит

59)

TAIWAN

1.

Mr Renton held an office meeting on 18 November to

His aim was to consider our policy towards Taiwan. examine the arguments in Sir Philip Goodhart's recent paper and the request from Lord Kindersley, Chairman of the Anglo-Taiwan Trade Committee (ATTC), to bring his successor, Mr Peter Godwin of Standard Chartered,

him.

to see

2. Mr Renton said he had some sympathy for Sir P Goodhart's view that we should perhaps be doing more with Taiwan, without unnecessarily irritating Peking. In discussion, it was argued that the Taiwanese were adept at feeding their views to Ministers through Parliamentary contacts. There was no evidence to support the argument that Britain's trade with Taiwan was suffering from our present political posture. Taiwanese were simply using it to seek greater diplomatic recognition, and a larger official presence in London.

The

In

3. Mr Renton concluded that he would invite Lord Kindersley and his successor to call and develop their argument that British trade needed concessions by the FCO to the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. advance of their call, you agreed to review the scope for making modest improvements to our dealings with the Taiwanese, taking into account changes which our European partners are making to their arrangements, and the options for dealing with the succession to Mr Heathfield, the present Director of the ATTC, who retires next year.

CONFIDENTIAL

/4.