TNAG-1880-FCO40-2671-Student-demonstrations-and-internal-political-situation-in-C-1989 — Page 58

CONFIDENTIAL

HKB 020/14

147320

MDLIAN 8240

CONFIDENTIAL

FM BTC HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 322

OF 240915Z JULY 89

INFO ROUTINE PEKING, HONG KONG, WASHINGTON

Estuera

YOUR TELNO 173: CABLE AND WIRELESS INTEREST IN ASIASAT

■

257

1 I SPOKE AS INSTRUCTED TO GALE, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CABLE AND WIRELESS, ON 24 JULY. I ALSO BROUGHT HIM UPTO DATE ON THE MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTS, ESPECIALLY IN RESPECT OF US ATTITUDES, ALTHOUGH CLEARLY HE WAS AWARE OF MUCH OF THIS, AND I TOLD HIM OF THE LINE TO BE TAKEN IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT'S BRIEFING (WASHINGTON TELNO 1970)

WHICH HE FOUND HELPFUL.

2. GALE WAS CLEARLY FULLY ALIVE TO THE PUBLICITY ASPECTS OF THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN ASIASAT, AND SAID THEY HAD MADE IT CLEAR TO THE CHINESE THAT THERE MUST BE NO OR MINIMAL PUBLICITY. THEY HAD TOLD CITIC (WHO OF COURSE HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL STAKE IN THE PROJECT) THAT THE LICENCE HAD BEEN RECEIVED, AND CITIC HAD ASKED TO SEE A COPY. GALE SAID THEY WOULD IGNORE THIS SINCE THEY ASSUMED IT WAS WANTED

FOR PUBLICITY PURPOSES.

3. IN THEIR RELATIONS WITH CHINA MORE GENERALLY, GALE SAID HE HAD CANCELLED A VISIT OF HIS OWN TO PEKING AND SHANGHAI TWO OR THREE WEEKS AGO, BUT WOULD BE LIKELY TO REINSTATE IT LATER IN THE YEAR. THE HEAD OF POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE HAD

PAID AN EXTENSIVE VISIT TO THEM LASTING SEVERAL DAYS ABOUT TWO WEEKS

AGO AND WOULD BE COMING AGAIN WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THE MAIN

PURPOSE SEEMED TO BE TO URGE THAT BUSINESS SHOULD CONTINUE AS NORMAL

AND TO DO HIS BEST TO ENSURE THAT IT DID.

HEAP

YYYY

PAGE 1 CONFIDENTIAL

127