RESTRICTED
FM BTC HONG KONG
TO ROUTINE PEKING
TELNO 29
OF 130947Z AUGUST 93
INFO ROUTINE FCO, DTI
RESTRICTED
PA BTC
Mr Woodnow
file
24)
153354-
MDLIAN 1057
19/8.
Miss Bauch
ti bashop. to enter?
FCO FOR FED, HKD
DTI FOR PEP AND XAAA/2D
YOUR TELNO 41 : MY VISIT TO SOUTH CHINA
1.
HKA 120/1
2. AUG 1993
MANY THANKS FOR TUR. I HAVE ALREADY REPORTED ON MY DISCUSSIONS ON THE CANTON METRO (BTC TEL TO FCO NO 22T). THE QUESTION OF ABB'S VIABILITY DID NOT ARISE. I THEREFORE JUDGED IT UNWISE TO MENTION COURSE REFER SEVERAL TIMES TO ABB'S BID
IT MYSELF, WHILE I DID OF ALONGSIDE THAT OF GEC'S.
2.
I MENTIONED UK INTEREST IN THE NEW CANTON AIRPORT AND FLAGGED UP SIR JOHN EGAN'S PROBABLE VISIT IN OCTOBER. (THESE LEADS NEED TO BE FOLLOWED UP ACTIVELY NOT ONLY BY BAA BUT BY BRITISH EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS).
3.
ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS, I WAS UNABLE TO OBTAIN ANY HARD INFORMATION ABOUT A NEW TELECOMS NETWORK. ON EQUIPMENT SUPPLY I WAS TOLD, AS USUAL, THAT BRITISH FIRMS WERE BEHIND THE GAME. I REMINDED THEM THAT GPT HAD WON CONTRACTS FROM THE MOR AND HAD ONLY BEEN PREVENTED FROM OTHER SUCCESSES BY STATE PLANNING COMMISSION OBSTRUCTION. I THINK THAT YOUR QUESTIONS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IN DETAIL TO THE GUANGDONG TELECOMMUNICATIONS PEOPLE. I MET NO SUCH EXPERT.
4.
I FLAGGED UP ME YEO'S VISIT AND MENTIONED THAT HE WOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY LEADING BRITISH COMPANIES. THIS WAS NOTED BY THOSE ACCOMPANYING THE VICE MAYOR. I ALSO MENTIONED THE CBTG PORTS MISSION. (IN ZHUHAI, WHERE I WAS BRIEFED ON THEIR PORT DEVELOPMENT PLAN, I ALSO TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO MENTION THE PORT MISSION IN CASE THE LATTER WERE ABLE TO GO TO ZHUHAI).
5. NOBODY, AS I RECORDED IN MY TUR, MADE AN REFERENCE TO POLITICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN. SIMILARLY, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN ANY READOUT ON THE CURRENT VIEW OF FRENCH COMPANIES. THE OVERALL IMPRESSION I HAD (AS HAVE PREVIOUS OBSERVERS) WAS THAT IN
1
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