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Mường coll
REL
166473
MDLIAN 4470
TOP COPY QDIST?
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FM BTC HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 59
OF 160824Z FEBRUARY 93
L
INFO PRIORITY DTI, PEKING, ATTC TAIWAN
OT2/20
DTI FOR PS/MFT, PEP, OT2 AND OT2/20
BUSINESS ROUND-UP: HONG KONG
SUMMARY
LAST PART
1. SHARP RISE IN CHINESE PRESSURES ON KEY BUSINESS CONTACTS OVER THE PAST WEEK, COINCIDING WITH HIGHER LEVEL OF MEDIA ATTENTION TO THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS.
DETAIL
2. OUR LAST BUSINESS ROUND-UP A WEEK AGO (MY TELNO 55) DESCRIBED THE ATTITUDES EXPRESSED TO US, PARTICULARLY IN RELATION TO DIFFERENCES WITH CHINA. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT WE IN THE BTC ARE KNOWN NOT TO BE INVOLVED IN NEGOTIATIONS EITHER WITHIN HONG KONG OR WITH CHINA: WE DO NOT OURSELVES RAISE THE SUBJECT AND REPORT ONLY WHAT PEOPLE SAY TO US IN OUR DAILY ROUND.
3.
SINCE THE LAST TEL, SEVERAL SENIOR CONTACTS HAVE EXPRESSED HEIGHTENED CONCERN, AND THERE SEEMS TO BE A PATTERN REFLECTING A DECISION ON THE PART OF THE CHINESE TO TURN THE HEAT UP. MOST SIGNIFICANT ARE :-
(A) ON 12/3 GORDON WU SAID HE HAD RECENTLY HAD TALKS IN GUANGDONG (MY TELNO INTRA 39) AND A PRIVATE DINNER WITH THE HEAD OF THE NCNA OFFICE IN HONG KONG. HE WAS SUFFICIENTLY CONCERNED BY WHAT HE REGARDED AS A DETERIORATING SITUATION THAT HE WOULD BE PREPARED TO STOP BUYING BRITISH EQUIPMENT FOR HIS POWER-STATIONS IN CHINA. (THOUGH HE WENT ON TO SAY HE WAS INTERESTED IN BUYING BRITISH ROLLING-STOCK). I FOUND IT IMPOSSIBLE TO ASSESS THE TRUE EXTENT OF HIS CONCERN EXCEPT THAT HE WOULD PUT HIS BUSINESS INTERESTS FIRST AND, IF IN DOUBT, PLAY SAFE. HE IS SEEING LORD PRIOR, WHO IS IN HONG KONG THIS WEEK.
(B) THAT EVENING THE SENIOR SHELL MAN IN THE FAR EAST EXPRESSED A HIGHER MEASURE OF CONCERN THAN I HAVE KNOWN FOR SOME TIME.
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