TNAG-2039-FCO40-2903-Visits-from-the-UK-to-China-1990 — Page 42

RESTRICTED

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 21

OF 23080OZ JANUARY 90

AND TO PRIORITY PEKING

VISITS

TO HKE DRITISH

CHAMBER

3

RESTRICTED

OF COP

OF COMMERCE

042613

MDLIAN 2433

HKB 026/10

RECEIVED IN

TRY

16 FEB 1990

DESK SPICE:

INDEX

RY

Cilon Taken

MY TELNO 6 TO PEKING (REPEATED AS MIFT TO FCO): BRITISH CHAMBER OF

COMMERCE AND POSSIBLE VISIT TO PEKING.

SUMMARY

1. THE BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CONSIDER A VISIT TO PEKING WITH OTHER NATIONAL CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE TO IMPRESS UPON THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT THAT THEIR RECENT ACTIONS ARE DAMAGING TO BUSINESS CONFIDENCE. THERE WERE SUFFICIENT RESERVATIONS AMONG CHAMBER COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO CAUSE THEM TO PULL BACK FROM IMMEDIATE PARTICIPATION IN SUCH A VENTURE. ANY ADVICE I COULD PASS ON WOULD BE WELCOME.

DETAIL

2. AT A MEETING OF THE GENERAL COMMITTEE OF THE BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN HONG KONG ON 22 JANUARY, WHICH I ATTENDED, THE PROPOSED VISIT (SEE OUR TUR) TO PEKING WAS DISCUSSED. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME IT HAD BEEN AIRED AT A MEETING OF THE CHAMBER, ALTHOUGH THE PRESIDENT, MAIDMENT OF GLAXO, CLEARLY HAD BEEN PURSUING IT FOR SOME TIME.

3.

THE PROPOSAL ORIGINATED WITH PAUL CHENG, WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, A SENIOR DIRECTOR OF INCHCAPE WHO RUN A LARGE OPERATION HERE, A FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE INFLUENTIAL HONG KONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AND A US CITIZEN OF CHINESE DESCENT. CHENG HAD PROPOSED SOME TIME IN DECEMBER THAT REPRESENTATIVES OF DIFFERENT NATIONAL CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE IN HONG KONG SHOULD VISIT PEKING TO POINT OUT TO THE CHINESE THAT THEIR STATEMENTS WERE ROCKING BUSINESS CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG. HE HAD PURSUED THE

PROPOSAL AT A LUNCH LAST MONTH WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE AUSTRALIAN, SWEDISH, GERMAN, FRENCH, JAPANESE AND CANADIAN CHAMBERS AS WELL AS THE BRITISH CHAMBER, AND WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NEW CHINA NEWS AGENCY (NCNA) PRESENT. THE AMERICAN CHAMBER (WHICH IS LARGE AND INFLUENTIAL) WAS NOT GOING TO PARTICIPATE SINCE

THEY PLANNED THEIR OWN DELEGATION TO PEKING WITH SIMILAR OBJECTIVES

1

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