TNAG-2478-FCO40-3608-Trade-relations-between-Hong-Kong--the-UK-and-other-countrie-1992 — Page 15

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FROM: CO Hum

DATE: 7 September 1992

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Mr Masefield

Mr Davies, FED Mr Ricketts, HKD Mr Wye, RAD

Mr Cooper,

Policy Planning Staff

CHATHAM HOUSE WORK ON NORTHERN ASIA

1. Dr Peter Ferdinand of Chatham House called to see me at his request on 4 September. As you will know, he is in charge of the Asia-Pacific programme at Chatham House, and he wished to discuss ideas for his future work programme. I had arranged for Mr Masefield to join the meeting, but because of our other commitments I arrived late and Mr Masefield left early: in effect there were two back to back meetings.

2. Where work on Northern Asia is concerned, Dr Ferdinand outlined briefly the work currently in hand under a variety of financing arrangements:

i)

A long-term project on Japanese external relations, which would focus in its first phase on Japan's relations with other Asian countries;

ii) a series of linked studies on the relationship between the various regions of China and their neighbours. (This had fallen into abeyance, but had now been revived. The academics concerned were scattered across the world and it was not clear to Dr Ferdinand who would coordinate the study);

iii) a study on Taiwan;

iv)

a study on Central Asia, financed by the FCO.

3. We then discussed possible areas for future work:

i)

Dr Ferdinand said it was some time since Chatham House had done anything on Hong Kong, and he felt this should be a priority. I steered him away from work on Hong Kong's constitutional arrangements or on relations with China, where we agreed that matters evolved too quickly to make a Chatham House study worthwhile. But we agreed that there would be considerable interest in a study on the triangular economic relationship between Southern China, Hong Kong and Taiwan and its long-term political implications;

ii) I encouraged Dr Ferdinand to consider possible work on regional integration in the Asia-Pacific area, looking at the

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