TNAG-2355-FCO40-3426-Visit-by-Douglas-Hurd--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Co-1991 — Page 192

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 292

OF 13072OZ MARCH 91

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

INFO PRIORITY BTC HONG KONG

INFO ROUTINE UKREP JLG HONG KONG

FOR

HKD 026/4 File

(SA)

156625 MDHIAN 7677

FOR FED FROM COATES.

HONG KONG : PERSONAL FOR ACTING GOVERNOR.

YOUR TELNO 203: VISIT BY SECRETARY OF STATE TO HONG KONG AND

CHINA.

1. IN THE AMBASSADOR'S ABSENCE ATTENDING THE SIGNING OF A

་

ROTHMAN'S JOINT VENTURE IN SHANDONG, I TOOK ACTION AS INSTRUCTED IN TUR WITH SONG MINGJIANG, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF WEST EUROPEAN DEPARTMENT, MFA, ON 13 MARCH, DRAWING ON THE POINTS IN PARAS 2(A)-(D) AND 2(F) IN TUR.

2. SONG WELCOMED THE NEWS AND UNDERTOOK TO REVERT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE ON WHETHER THE DATES SUGGESTED WOULD BE CONVENIENT. HE HOPED TO BE ABLE TO TELL US BY 14 OR 15 MARCH.

3. ASSUMING THAT THE CHINESE CONFIRM THE DATES, WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR EARLY ADVICE ON WHETHER AN ADVANCE PARTY WILL BE COMING OUT TO DO A RECONNAISSANCE VISIT.

4. WE HAVE NOW RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING ESTIMATES FROM CAAC FOR THE

CHARTER OF A BAE146 :

PEKING-JINAN : FEC 35,000 (POUNDS STERLING APPROX 3,500)

PEKING-JINAN-CANTON : FEC 120,000 (POUNDS STERLING APPROX 12,000) (ALLOWING A WHOLE DAY IN TAISHAN)

JINAN-CANTON FEC 90,000 (POUNDS STERLING APPROX 9,000)

THESE ARE OF COURSE THE COSTS OF HIRING ON A COMMERCIAL BASIS. I BROACHED THE IDEA OF A CHARTER AIRCRAFT WITH SONG, WHO RESPONDED CAUTIOUSLY AND APPEARED CONCERNED ABOUT COSTS. AT A LATER STAGE, IF THE CHINESE STILL SHOW HESITATION ABOUT THE IDEA OF A CHARTER

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