RESTRICTED
FM PEKING
TO TELELETTER FCO
TELELETTER N FR
OF 300914Z NOVEMBER 92
RESTRICTED
HKC 012/4
INFO TELELETTER HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
FROM
TELELETTER
SIR ROBIN MCLAREN, PEKING
N FR OF 30 NOVEMBER 1992
FOLLOWING FOR P F RICKETTS, HKD, FCO COPIED TO
W G EHRMAN, POLITICAL ADVISER, HONG KONG A C GALSWORTHY, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
M
103A
117477
MOTTAN 1886
Mami
2/12
Mr which "112 Mr Burke 25/x.
Chuche reactin
il
SIR ROBERT DAVIDSON, CHAIRMAN OF BALFOUR BEATTIE, CAME TO LUNCH ON 30 NOVEMBER. HE HAS BEEN A FREQUENT VISITOR TO CHINA IN
RECENT YEARS THROUGH HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH MAJOR POWER STATION
PROJECTS IN HIS FORMER GEC CAPACITY.
1.
2.
DAVIDSON'S MAIN MEETING ON THE MORNING OF 30 NOVEMBER WAS WITH HUYANG YICHENG, THE MINISTER OF ENERGY (WHO ACTED AS MR EGGAR'S HOST A FORTNIGHT AGO). DAVIDSON TOLD ME THAT HUANG HAD RAISED HONG KONG WITH HIM DURING THEIR MEETING. HE HAD BEEN SO GOOD HUMOURED AND HAD NOT HECTORED BUT HIS MESSAGE, DELIVERED AS A 'PERSONAL VIEW' HAD BEEN TOUGH. IN ESSENCE IT WAS THAT CHINA WOULD NOT COMPROMISE ON MATTERS OF PRINCIPLE. MR PATTEN WAS A POLITICIAN WHO HAD LOST HIS JOB' IN THE UK. HE NOW RISKED LOSING HIS NEW ONE. QUOTING THE WELL-KNOWN CHINESE PROBERB, HUANG WARNED AGAINST LIFTING A ROCK ONLY TO DROP IT ON YOUR OWN FOOT.
3.
DAVIDSON DID NOT REMEMBER WHAT HUANG HAD SAID IN DETAIL. I RECORD THE ABOVE ONLY AS AN INDICATION THAT CHINESE MINISTERS ARE NOW BEING BRIEFED TO ISSUE WARNINGS ABOUT HONG KONG TO SENIOR
BRITISH BUSINESSMEN.
I AM SENDING COPIES OF THIS TELELETTER TO WILLIAM EHRMAN POLITICAL ADVISER, AND TONY GALSWORTHY, UKREP JLG.
4.
ROBIN MCLAREN
YYYY
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