bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

THE Jardine Group, the British corporation which was singled out by Beijing in its criticism against British interests, pledged to the Chinese Government that it would correct its ''past mistakes'', according to a senior Chinese official in charge of foreign trade.

  Mr Tong Zhiguang, Vice-Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation, yesterday disclosed that the Jardine Group had taken the initiative to discuss the question of its relationship with Beijing early this month.

  Speaking to Hongkong reporters when he attended the National People's Congress, Mr Tong said Legislative Councillor Mr Martin Barrow had held a meeting with him during his visit to Beijing early this month.

  ''Taking part in the delegation of the Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce to Beijing early this month, Mr Barrow told me the Jardine Group was willing to correct its mistakes in the past,'' Mr Tong said.

  Mr Tong apparently referred to ''mistakes'' by the Jardine Group as its alleged support for Governor Mr Chris Patten's political reform proposals.

  He said the words and deeds of the Jardine Group over the political row were disgraceful.

  When asked whether the Chinese Government would impose economic sanctions on the Jardine Group, Mr Tong refused to give a direct answer, only saying that the Jardine Group had not yet corrected its mistakes.

  But Mr Tong said the Chinese Government had frequent contact with the Jardine Group as its representatives always visited Beijing.

  Mr Martin Barrow is in London and could not be reached for comment.

  The secretary of the Matheson Group of companies in the United Kingdom, Mr Martin Henderson, said he had no knowledge of any such statement by Mr Barrow and he had no other comment to make.

  In response to an earlier press report which said his ministry had issued a secret instruction to order state enterprises to stop doing business with the Jardine Group, Mr Tong declined to confirm nor deny.

  ''I can't comment on that. I have just been away from China on a business trip,'' he said.

  When asked to comment on the impact of the Sino-British diplomatic row on the economic relations between the two countries, Mr Tong said business was normal.

  ''Sino-British economic relations and trade links have not been affected at the present stage. But if the tension between the two countries worsens, our bilateral relations will inevitably be affected,'' he said.

  Mr Zheng Hongye, president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said it was too early to say whether the Chinese Government would impose economic sanctions.

  ''The Sino-British trade and economic co-operation is going on as normal. A British trade delegation will be visiting China later this year,'' he said.

  Mr Zheng said Beijing would express its concern about the political row's impact on the Sino-British economic interests to the visiting British businessmen.



China official says Jardines to correct mistakes