TNAG-2489-FCO40-3621-Leading-Chinese-personalities-involved-with-Hong-Kong-1992 — Page 8

A The National Archives

DEPARTMENT/SERIES

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FCO 40

Date and sign

3621.

(one piece/item number)

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folio 7

CLOSED UNDER FOI EXEMPTION

RETAINED UNDER SECTION 3(4)

OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS ACT 1958

15 DEC 2017

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HKC 01@/

HKC 010/3

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FM FCO

TO

TELELETTER HONG KONG

TELELETTER:NFR

OF 231315Z MARCH 92

AND TO TELELETTER PEKING

6

017767 MDTTAN 5336

ст лувам

ACY PUSD (ON) in Cax

M zufü

تھے

Dr Marlain 24/

Mr Banka Yor

Ponta

FROM R F WYE RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS DEPARTMENT FCO

TO K C WALKER HONG KONG, MS J ROGAN PEKING

COPIES TO NJ COX ESQ HKD, A SEATON ESQ FED

DING GUAN' GEN

4

1. THANKYOU FOR YOUR TELELETTER OF 20 MARCH. WE HAVE LITTLE PREVIOUS EVIDENCE OF DING'S INVOLVEMENT IN HONG KONG AFFAIRS. WE HAVE NOTED HIM APPEARING ON HONG KONG RELATED OCCASIONS TWICE IN THE LAST YEAR. ONCE WAS IN OCTOBER 1991 WHEN A HAKKA INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL DELEGATION FROM HONG KONG, LED BY TSANG HIN-CHI, CALLED ON HIM AND ZOU JIAHUA. THE OTHER TIME WAS DURING THE NPC SESSION LAST YEAR WHEN HE ATTENDED THE BANQUET FOR HONG KONG AND MACAO DELEGATES TO THE NPC AND CPPCC ORGANISED BY THE CPPCC AND THE UNITED FRONT WORK DEPARTMENT. GIVEN THE LARGE NUMBER OF DELEGATIONS THERE HAVE BEEN FROM HONG KONG TO CHINA DURING THIS PERIOD, THIS IS NOT A VERY HIGH ATTENDANCE RATE.

2. DING HAS BEEN DIRECTOR OF THE PARTY'S UNITED FRONT WORK DEPARTMENT SINCE 1990. THIS GIVES HIM SOMETHING OF AN ENTREE INTO HONG KONG MATTERS, AS UNITED FRONT WORK IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF CHINA'S STRATEGY TOWARDS HONG KONG. THIS IS DEMONSTRATED OPENLY IN THE FACT THAT IT WAS THE UNITED FRONT WORK DEPARTMENT THAT ORGANISED THE BANQUET FOR HONG KONG AND MACAO DELEGATES DURING THE NPC, WHICH DING ATTENDED. 3.

DING IS ALSO NO STRANGER TO QUESTIONS RELATING TO REUNIFICATION AS HE WAS FOR SOME YEARS IN CHARGE OF THE STATE COUNCIL'S TAIWAN AFFAIRS OFFICE, BEFORE HE WAS PROMOTED TO THE UNITED FRONT WORK DEPARTMENT.

4. NONETHELESS, ALTHOUGH IT WOULD MAKE SENSE FROM DING'S INSTITUTIONAL BACKGROUND THAT HE SHOULD HAVE SOME GENERAL INTEREST IN HONG KONG MATTERS, YOUR INFORMATION IS THE FIRST EVIDENCE THAT WE HAVE OF HIM HAVING SPECIFIC CHARGE OF HONG KONG AFFAIRS. IF THIS DOES PROVE TO BE THE CASE, I WOULD AGREE THAT IT WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT. AT THE LEADERSHIP LEVEL

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