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5. THERE WAS SOME HAGGLING OVER THE TIMETABLE. THE CHINESE HAD TOLD
THE PRESS BEFORE THE MEETING THAT THE RETURNS COULD NOT BEGIN UNTIL
LATE SEPTEMBER. OUR TARGET WAS WITHIN TEN DAYS. EVENTUALLY
XU PERSUADED THE GUANGDONG REPRESENTATIVE AT THE TABLE TO ACCEPT A BATCH OF AROUND 100 ON FRIDAY, 3 SEPTEMBER. WE PRESSED UNSUCCESSFULLY FOR A SPECIFIC TIMETABLE BEYOND THIS. BUT THE CHINESE AGREED TO TRY TO RECEIVE THE FIRST SEA-BORNE GROUP, OF AROUND 500, BY EARLY OCTOBER (WE WOULD PREFER SOONER BUT ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THIS, SINCE IT WILL TAKE TIME ON OUR SIDE TO SET UP). BEFORE THAT SHIPMENT, THE GUANGDONG REPRESENTATIVE AGREED THAT WE COULD KEEP UP THE FLOW WITH FURTHER GROUPS RETURNING BY ROAD.
6. WE HAD HOPED TO PERSUADE THE CHINESE TO TAKE BACK ECVIIS BEFORE
THE COMPLETION OF THEIR OWN VERIFICATION PROCEDURES. THE CHINESE
MADE CLEAR AT THE OUTSET THAT THERE WAS NO PROSPECT OF THIS. BUT THEY DID CONFIRM THAT OVER 600 CASES (ROUGHLY 25 PER CENT) HAD
ALREADY BEEN VERIFIED AS HAVING ORIGINALLY BEEN SETTLED IN SPECIFIC STATE FARMS. THEY ALSO AGREED TO DO THEIR BEST TO SPEED UP VERIFICATION PROCEDURES, AND GAVE US A USEFUL LIST OF FURTHER INFORMATION WHICH WOULD HELP THEM TO DO SO IN EACH CASE. WE AIM TO
SEND THEM RESPONSES FOR ALL THE STILL UNVERIFIED ECVIIS WITHIN THE
NEXT FEW DAYS.
COMMENT
7. THE MEETING ATTRACTED CONSIDERABLE, AND FAVOURABLE, PRESS COVERAGE IN HONG KONG. IT WAS HELPFUL THAT XU WAS WILLING, AFTER PERSUASION, TO ENDORSE PUBLICLY THE CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE OF RAPID RETURNS TO CHINA OF ALL ECVIIS REACHING HONG KONG, AS A DETERRENT TO OTHERS. IT WILL BE IMPORTANT NOW TO BUILD UP, AND DEMONSTRATE PUBLICLY, A HIGH MOMENTUM OF RETURNS. THIS MAY PROVE DIFFICULT IF, AS THEY MAY, THE PROVINCES DRAG THEIR FEET. BUT IF EVERYTHING AGREED IN CANTON CAN BE IMPLEMENTED FAITHFULLY, WE SHOULD MANAGE TO RETURN THE MAJORITY OF THE ECVIIS WITHIN 2-3 MONTHS. THAT WOULD BE SEEN HERE AS A SUCCESS, AND A RELIEF.
FORD
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