CONFIDENTIAL
114376
MD
N 0605
WORK-LOAD WAS AN INDICATION OF THE IMPORTANCE HE ATTACHES TO DOING BUSINESS WITH US. AND HE LEFT ME IN NO DOUBT THAT HE WANTS TO DO MORE. HE DID NOT USE THE OCCASION TO GO OVER ANY OUTSTANDING ISSUES SUCH AS SCOTCH WHISKY, BUT DID SHOW SOME TEETH ON THE SUBJECT OF HONG KONG WHEN CONVERSATION TURNED TO THE BURGEONING TRADE BETWEEN THE TERRITORY AND TAIWAN. HE SAID THAT HE HAD NOT BEEN TO HONG KONG SINCE HAVING HIS REQUEST FOR A VISA TURNED DOWN OVER FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, WHEN HE WAS A SENIOR OFFICIAL. HE HAD BEEN SO HUMILIATED BY THIS THAT HE HAD NEVER SOUGHT TO APPLY AGAIN AND IT IS QUITE CLEAR THAT HE HARBOURS CONSIDERABLE RESENTMENT OVER THIS.
4. IN A LENGTHY SPEECH, AT WHICH MOST OF THE MEMBERS OF THE ATTC ADVISORY PANEL WERE ALSO PRESENT, FANG RECALLED THE HISTORY OF RELATIONS BETWEEN BRITAIN AND THE TAIWANESE AUTHORITIES AND REFERRED TO THE VARIOUS INSULTS AND INDIGNITIES WHICH HE PERSONALLY HAD SUFFERED AT OUR HANDS, PARTICULARLY DURING HIS EIGHT YEARS IN LONDON, WHICH DO NOT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN AT ALL A HAPPY TIME FOR HIM. HE LEFT THE GUESTS IN NO DOUBT THAT THE FCO HAD BEEN THE PRINCIPAL CULPRIT. AT THE SAME TIME, HE ALSO SPOKE OF THE WILLINGNESS OF THE TAIWANESE TO PUT ALL THAT BEHIND THEM AND TO LOOK FORWARD TO A NEW CHAPTER WHEN, DESPITE THE ABSENCE OF FORMAL RELATIONS, MUCH COULD BE ACHIEVED THROUGH DIPLOMACY OF A 'PRACTICAL AND PRAGMATIC' NATURE. HE THEN CITED AS AN EXAMPLE THE POSSIBILITY OF AN INFORMAL UNDERSTANDING ON PROPERTY ACQUISITION
WHICH I HAVE DEALT WITH SEPARATELY IN TAIPEI TELEGRAM NO 5.
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5 I AM NOT SURE WHERE ALL THIS LEAVES US. I WOULD LIKE TO THINK THAT WITH MY ARRIVAL THE SLATE HAS BEEN WIPED CLEAR BUT, GIVEN THE NATURE OF THE CHINESE, THAT IS PROBABLY WISHFUL THINKING. IT WOULD BE PREMATURE TO START EXPLORING THE WAY FORWARD', ASSUMING THAT ONE EXISTS, SO SOON AFTER MY ARRIVAL, BUT IT MAY BE APPROPRIATE FOR ME TO TOUCH ON THE SUBJECT WHEN I DO MY 'FIRST IMPRESSIONS'. IN THE MEANTIME, COULD WE START THINKING ABOUT OUR POLICY ON VISAS FOR SENIOR TAIWANESE, INCLUDING MINISTERS, WHO WISH TO VISIT OR TRANSIT HONG KONG? APART FROM THE FACT THAT THE PRESENT ARRANGEMENTS CAUSE CONSIDERABLE INCONVENIENCE TO THE TAIWANESE, OUR POSTURE IS RAPIDLY FALLING BEHIND IN TERMS OF THE PACE AT WHICH RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO ARE DEVELOPING (SEE FOR
INSTANCE TAIPEI NOS 3 AND 4). THIS ALSO RAISED THE QUESTIONS OVER THE FREEDOM OF HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO VISIT TAIWAN, ALTHOUGH THE HKTDC MISSION IS PRESUMABLY A STEP IN THAT DIRECTION. THE TRIANGULAR RELATIONSHIP INVOLVING PEKING, HONG KONG AND TAIPEI HAS A CERTAIN DYNAMISM OF ITS OWN WHICH OTHERS
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