RESTRICTED
FM PEKING
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 561
OF 221228Z APRIL 93
RESTRICTED
HKCC 012/4
RID
APR 1993
PSKCOR
licX
INFO IMMEDIATE DTI, HONG KONG
STRY
REGISTRY
PA Action Taken
2012/4
INFO PRIORITY BTC HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
34
176777
MDHIAN 8102
CALL BY LORD YOUNG ON PREMIER LI PENG: HONG KONG: UK/CHINA TRADE RELATIONS
SUMMARY
·
1 LI PENG ISSUES FURTHER REMINDER THAT BRITISH ECONOMIC INTERESTS COULD SUFFER IF POLITICAL RELATIONS DETERIORATE FURTHER OVER HONG KONG.
DETAIL
2.
I ACCOMPANIED LORD YOUNG WHEN HE PAID A SHORT (20 MINUTE) CALL ON LI PENG ON THE AFTERNOON OF 22 APRIL. MOST OF THE CALL WAS DEVOTED TO CABLE AND WIRELESS BUSINESS BUT TOWARDS THE END LI SAID THAT AS I WAS PRESENT HE WOULD MENTION OUR WIDER POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS. HE RECALLED THAT AT HIS PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER LAST MONTH'S NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS MEETING, HE HAD SAID THAT CHINA WAS READY TO HOLD TALKS WITH THE UK ABOUT HONG KONG, AND WAS READY TO EXPAND TRADE AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS. GIVEN CHINA'S RAPID ECONOMIC GROWTH, ITS EXPANDING MARKET AND THE REQUIREMENT FOR IMPORTS, CHINA OFFERED MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOREIGN BUSINESSES. THE CHINESE POSITION WAS THAT NO MATTER WHAT DISPUTE THERE MIGHT BE BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA, CHINA STILL HOPED TO SEE TRADE DEVELOP SMOOTHLY. BUT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY THAT THERE WOULD BE NO/NO EFFECT ON TRADE. PUT IN ANOTHER WAY, GOOD POLITICAL AND DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WOULD CERTAINLY PROMOTE THE GROWTH OF TRADE. IF POLITICAL AND DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WERE NOT GOOD THERE WOULD BE SOME IMPACT. CHINA AND BRITAIN HAD DIFFERENT SOCIAL SYSTEMS AND THEIR HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDS DIFFERED. BUT, TO QUOTE A CHINESE SAYING, THEY SHOULD SEEK COMMON GROUND WHILE SETTING ASIDE DIFFERENCES. THE COMMON GROUND LAY IN THE NEED FOR GOOD ECONOMIC RELATIONS.
3.
LI CONCLUDED BY RECALLING THAT HE AND LORD YOUNG HAD FIRST
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