CHINESE PURCHASING AGENCIES IN WESTERN EUROPE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R014400260004-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 27, 2003
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: October 27, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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FEB 19:x; 11-4AA
11
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
CLASSIFICATION SECRRET/I
INFORMATION REPORT REPORT NO.
CD NO.
COUNTRY China/Western Europe/Hong Kong
SUBJECT Chinese Purchasing Agencies in
Western Europe
DATE OF
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PLACE
ACQUIRED
TH15.:DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES, WITHIN THE MEANINO OF TITLE 18, SECTIONS 793
AND 794, OP THE U.S. CODE, AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMIS510N OR KEYS-
LATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT BY AN UNAUTHORIRED PERSON 15
PROHIBITED DY LAWS THE REPRODUCTION OF THIS FORM IS PROHIBITED.
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DATE DISTR. 27 October 1952
NO. OF PAGES 3
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
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1. In August 1952 there were the #ol1owing Chinese OommVaniot purchasing ageaoieal
in ffesterr. Europe=
as Switzerland. The moot important Chinese Communist purchasing eenoy in
Kestern Europe is in Zurich, tahnhofmtrusao 20. It hee large a=e of
;money aVailabl? and can fineno the largest orders, In February 1952
ito heedp Miss L~ L ANG1, flew to China and Hong font for new instructional
her return was expected in May 1952. Mims LWANQ in one of the leading
funotionar oa of the Metropolitan Comm?roiel Oompeny, a cover organisation
for e branoh of the Ctineee Communist Ministry of Supply, in Europe. Also
in Zurich are Mine Oanevicve 0 and en engineer nerved !AE?Q N The latter
vvl rke for e Swim firm and his relationrl with Mine L1 Q and Miee QU may
be moreiy fr ieudlyN
b. France. The agency is at 15 .ue ;mile Duelaux. 1-te head, dir. 140-UA -left
for a trip to Gerroany at the end of August.
Co 4estern Germany. There is an agency at Ce.tlerstrasse 144/IV, Hannover,
headed by Mr. C. H. CIIUANG, managing partner of the Fe . Tri-Union Indus-
trial Supplies, cable address "UNIONTEX;1'~' CHUAMG is a. capable commercial
.gent, young; and very intelligent, who speaks gg~good German and English.
He has five assistants in his Hannover office. Another agency is in
Tubingen, benzenberr;strasse 49,, and is managed. by Dr. John TSFIN of the
iv idland Company, Printing House A 18 Ice House Street, Hong Kong.3 T H.Z ;
a merchant with no rie:ht to the title of doctor. is a Communist whose
brother is a Party functionary in Communist China. TSHIN lives well but
quietly, and does not appear very bright. He reports frequently to Zurich
for instructions and money. In addition to his position in the Midland
Company, TS.. !.N is an authorized representative of the lAetropolitan Commer-
cial Corapany, as well as of the Chung, Kong Company, a firm which appears
CLASSIFICATION SL,.C?'ET/I
I N NB
t h l
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DISTRIC.UTI0N
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to have little importance. The Midland Company is especially concerned with the
procurement"of medical supplies in the widest sense -- surgical instruments, equip-
ment for field hospitals and motorized ambulances, microscopes, and similar goods.
In the last year 1.8 million Hong Kong dollars were spent legally for such mate-
rials in Germany. The Tubingen agency has also tried to make important purchases
in the name of the Metropolitan Commercial Company, but without much success.
d. Belgium. Continental Lines, 31 Marche aux Souliers, Antwerp, appears to be a
Chinese Communist purchasing agency, but its connection with the other agencies
is dubious. it makes deliveries by way of Antwerp-Lisbon-Macao-Hong Kong, or
Lisbon-Tientsin, and is regarded as reliable by Hong Kong.
2. The European agencies of the Chinese Communists are directed from Hong Kong, but
apart from the connection between TSHIN in Tubingen and LIANG in Zurich, the relations
between the European agencies seem loose. German firms frequently are asked about
orders by more than one of these purchasing agencies.
3. The duties of the purchasing agencies, as outlined in a directive from Hong Kong of
May 1952, are primarily to evade the limitations on exports. The directive stated
that although the shipment of goods on the limited lists through hamburg and other
German harbors was not possible, shipments must be forwarded. To evade the restric-
tions, the goods should be bought by a representative from one of the Western nations,
paid for and shipped through Hamburg to a Western harbor. Payment should be made
from the country to which the shipment is made, preferably in Swiss or belgian francs.
Shipments should be made, for example, to Antwerp or Amsterdam, but not unloaded;
they should instead. be taken to a free port and shipped to Gdynia, from where goods
can be sent to China. When a buyer in a Western country cannot be found, the matter
can be handled by a firm in London which is headed by a Chinese who has much exper-
ience in the business. The name is this firm could not be ascertained, but its
cable address is "LINDA" or something like that. In addition, Kanden Electrical,
Limited, 111-113 Fulham Road, London, SK G, will deliver thermometers, pyrometers
and other similar instruments through Hong Kong.
4. The Metropolitan Commercial Company, which has the use of a number of steamers whose
names and tonnage are unknown4, is particularly interested in the purchase of stra-
tevio materials on the embargo list. Up to the end of August 1952, the Tubingen
agency had received the following orders from Hong Kong, none of which was filled:
January 1952: 100,000 ampoules of penicillin.
January 1952: Complete equipment for a chemical and pharmaceutical factory of
medium size (400 to 500 workers), including building plans.
May 1952 50,000 meters of gasoline tubing of various sizes.,.
August 1952 Rails and locomotives.
August 1952 : Measuring apparatus for the founding industry.
5. In late August 1952 a Mr. CIiA05, had been in Europe for six weeks, visiting first
Paris, then Zurich, Tubingen, Iaannover and hamburg. Ile was planning to go to
Antwerp, and eventually fly to Hong Kong. his objective is the control of the
Chinese Communist agencies in Europe, and the investigation of possibilities for
the illegal purchase of strategic materials. The Chinese were very secretive about
him, never naming him in letters. He himself writes no letters and frequently
changes his place of residence. He had trouble with his papers in Switzerland. He
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SECRET/
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is believed to be head of the Metropolitan Commercial Company, or at least an 25X1
important functionary of the Chinese Communist government. CLAO left Paris at the
end of August in company with a Mr. LIOU.
SECRET)
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