TNAG-2762-FCO40-3979-Hong-Kong-Chinese-discrimination-against-UK-companies-Jardi-1993 — Page 91

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TELELETTER PAO(S) 2/1156/91/1 anything to well.

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AND TO TELELETTER BTC HONG KONG, JLG HONG

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FROM: WILLIAM EHRMAN, POLITICAL ADVISER, HONG KONG FOR: PETER RICKETTS ESQ, HKD, FCO

COPIED TO: CHRIS OSBORNE ESQ, ATG. SENIOR TRADE COMMISSIONER,

HONG KONG

JARDINES

TONY GALSWORTHY ESQ CMG, HEAD, UKREP JLG HONG KONG NIGEL COX ESQ, POLITICAL COUNSELLOR, BE PEKING

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PETER SUTCH OF SWIRES APPROACHED ME ON 1 APRIL WITH A STRANGE STORY RELATING TO JARDINES (BUT NOT AN APRIL FOOL EXCLAM).

1.

2.

YAO KANG, SWIRES' CHINA DIRECTOR, HAD BEEN TOLD IN PEKING THAT FURTHER STRONG MEASURES AGAINST JARDINES WERE BEING

CONSIDERED IF IT WERE CONFIRMED THAT JARDINES HAD ORCHESTRATED AN

ANTI-CHINA MEETING LAST WEEK AT THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF

STRATEGIC STUDIES. THE CHINESE WERE CLAIMING THAT SUCH A MEETING HAD BEEN CHAIRED BY SOMEONE FROM JARDINES, AND ATTENDED BY A NUMBER OF AMERICANS, AND HAD ''DECIDED* THAT CHINA WAS BECOMING TOO POWERFUL AND SHOULD BE OPPOSED BY THE WEST. IN PARTICULAR THE MEETING HAD ''DECIDED'' THAT THE US AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES SHOULD OPPOSE CHINA'S BID TO HOST THE OLYMPICS.

3. PETER SUTCH, WHO HAD NOT HEARD OF THE IISS, HAD RUNG SIR ADRIAN SWIRE ABOUT THIS STORY. SIR ADRIAN HAD SAID HE THOUGHT IT RUBBISH.

I ASSUME IT IS. BUT GERALD SEGAL, THE PROGENITOR OF THE LEW KUAN YEW THEORY OF A WESTERN PLOT AGAINST CHINA, WORKS AT THE IISS. FOR THIS REASON, AND BECAUSE THE CHINESE ARE LIABLE TO BELIEVE ANYTHING ABOUT JARDINES IN THEIR PRESENT MOOD, I THOUGHT I SHOULD REPORT IT TO YOU. IT INCIDENTALLY REINFORCES MY VIEW OF

THE SENSITIVITY OF THE PLANNED IISS MEETING IN HONG KONG.

5. IF YOU WERE ABLE TO CHECK THAT THE STORY IS WITHOUT FOUNDATION I WOULD LIKE TO TELL PETER SUTCH. HE TOLD ME THAT HE