TNAG-2498-FCO40-3636-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Taiwan-1992 — Page 121

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POSSIBLE ''BREAKTHROUGH' TENDS TO FEED THE IDEA THAT TAIWAN AND SHE MAY HAVE SOMETHING OF OFFER EACH OTHER, AT LEAST IN MRS THATCHER'S EYES.

12. WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY OWN ROLE IN THE VISIT I EXPECT THE TAIWANESE WILL TRY AND INVOLVE ME AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. PRESUMABLY I SHOULD NOT RESIST. CLEARLY, I NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN THE SECURITY ASPECTS OF THE VISIT, INCLUDING THE RECCE. I SEE NO DIFFICULTY IN PROVIDING HER WITH BRIEFING, IF DONE IN THE NAME OF THE ATTC. THE PROGRAMME WILL START FIRMING-UP DURING JULY. IF THERE IS ANY GAP IN IT I WOULD SEE IT AS MY DUTY TO OFFER TO FILL IT BY PROVIDING A MEAL OR A RECEPTION AND PREFERABLY ONE THAT EMPHASISED THE BRITISH BUSINESS COMMUNITY. I IMAGINE THERE WOULD BE NO DIFFICULTY WITH THIS. THIS SEEMS TO BE VERY MUCH THE WAY MY FRENCH COLLEAGUE (FROM QUAI D'ORSAY) HANDLED THE RECENT VISIT OF GISCARD D'ESTAING AND ANY BACKING OFF BY US IN RELATION TO MRS THATCHER IS BOUND TO LEAD TO UNFAVOURABLE COMPARISONS).

13. AS TO THE ROLE MRS THATCHER MIGHT PLAY IN FURTHERING BRITISH INTERESTS, SHE WILL, OF COURSE, BE SEEING ALL MANNER OF MINISTERS HERE AND WILL, OF COURSE, HAVE BRIEFING FROM FCO AND DTI. IT WILL BE FOR JUDGEMENT NEAR THE TIME AS TO WHETHER SHE

#sept that whileSHOULD ACTUALLY LOBBY ON SPECIFIC ISSUES. GIVEN HER SUCCESS WITH the Korean HE SUBJECT IN JAPAN AND, I RECALL, IN SOUTH KOREA, SCOTCH WHISKEY & Serpande MIGHT LEND ITSELF TO THE THATCHER TREATMENT. APART FROM THAT, WE

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MAY NEED TO IDENTIFY SOMETHING FAIRLY HIGH PROFILE FOR HER TO DO WHICH WILL BE SERIOUS ENOUGH AND SERVE SOME USEFUL PURPOSE, WHILST REMAINING LARGELY NON-GOVERNMENT IN CHARACTER. SOME IDEAS SPRING TO MIND:-

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dant.

I)

II)

MRS THATCHER TO LAUNCH THE FIRST JOINT MEETING BETWEEN U.K. AND TAIWAN IN TERMS OF THE PROPOSED FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE ON WHICH WE SHALL BE PUTTING PROPOSALS SHORTLY TO THE MINISTER OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS. THIS WOULD, OF COURSE, MEAN ROUNDING UP A SUITABLE POSSE OF BRITISH BANKERS BUT IT WOULD GET THIS BODY OFF TO

A HIGH PROFILE START:

MRS THATCHER TO MAKE THE KEY-NOTE SPEECH AND CHAIR THE

OPENING SESSION OF A SEMINAR ON THE BRITISH PRIVATISATION EXPERIENCE AND WHAT IT HAS TO OFFER TAIWAN IN CERTAIN SPECIFIC SECTORS E.G. TELECOMMUNICATIONS, AIR TRANSPORTATION, AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURE, ELECTRICITY ETC.

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