1.
SVs & CUs ZOOM OUT Chinese delegation greeted (3 shots)
0.16

2.
GV Concorde taxiing PAN party looking on
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3.
LV PAN Concorde takes off
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MV PAN TO GV PAN party looking at Concorde flying past
0.53

5.
MV & GV Party inspects another in hangar (2 shots)
1.04

6.
SV PAN Party down steps of aircraft
1.18

7.
SV Chinese F.M. into car
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Initials SGM/0149 SGM/0201



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The People's Republic of China's Foreign Minister, Chi Peng-Fei, indicated during a flying display by the Anglo-French supersonic airliner that government would go ahead with plans to purchase three of the super jets.

The Minister, on a four-day official visit to Britain, told reporters after watching a spectacular ten-minute flying display by the airliner above its test flight base at Fairford, England, on Saturday (9 June), that he was "very impressed" by Concorde's performance.

China last summer signed preliminary agreements to buy three Concordes from the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and its French partner in developing the aircraft, Aerospatiale.

Asked after the flying display if his country would now buy the plane, Mr. Chi said: "I think we have had an agreement to that effect for some time, and I know of no change."
Mr. Chi, who dislikes flying and travelled by train to the west of England air base rather than make the journey by helicopter, did not go on board for the demonstration flight.

BAC's chief test pilot Brian Trubshaw put the aircraft through a series of steep climbs and sharp turns and twice brought the plane down to ZOOM only 500 feet (166 mtrs) above the heads of the Chinese visitors.

Mr. Anthony Royle, Secretary of State at the Foreign Office, accompanied the Chinese Foreign Minister.