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c)
Confidential and informal group of TAIPANS of British companies in Hong Kong to keep each other abreast of progress and take the temperature of the business community. The Governor may wish to have someone there: certainly the Council should be in, and the JLG. Probably a monthly lunch. Representatives of the HKAC would join in from time to time and we would need to keep them informed.
Some
5. If the above could be done on a monthly or two-monthly cycle I think it would keep us in step. meetings could take only a few minutes. Once the brief for the building is fixed the focus will be on commercial work and much of that wil be mundane detail. From my point of view, locking in the Joint Directorate, and RMD will be important either in person at your Steering Committee, or at least by copying papers to one named representative in each Department (all of course on the telegram
distribution). The Joint Directorate can be of considerable help. I suggest we refer to this as 1998 machinery in order to make the horizon sufficiently wide.
The Taipans
6.
This will be a key group for me. I have spoken individually to each and I know they will welcome the proposal and keep it close. Each is personally involved in a similar exercise of planning for the post-1997 period. They are an important source of funds, eg for the Council and the British Chamber.
The principal companies would be:
Hong Kong Bank;
Swires;
Jardines;
C & W;
Shell;
BE2ABB/3
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