CYPHER/CAT A PRIORITY TOKYO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 753
CONFIDENTIAL. 1385157.
CONFIDENTIAL
H Hong Kong Dpr
TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
13 OCTOBER 1978
Kisho
Skirgen
FED will fland
YOUR TELEGRAM NO. 702: THE PRIME MINISTER'S MEETING, WITH MS
SATO AT NEW YORK.
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WITH MR. TPD I HAVE CONSULTED MR. HOGEN, VICE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, En.
ABOUT TOPICS FOR MR. HEATH'S MEETING WITH MR. SATO. THE FOREIGN MINISTRY HAD NOT YET BEEN IN TOUCH WITH THE PRIME MINISTER'S
THE MAJOR OFFICE ABOUT THIS, BUT WE AGREED BETWEEN US THAT
TOPICS COULD BE
A) INDO-CHINA
3) THE MIDDLE EAST
(C) HMG'S 'EAST OF SUEZ' POLICY
2. ON THE LATTER POINT, THE JAPANESE ARE NOW MORE INTERESTED IN OUR INTENTIONS IN THE PERSIAN GULF THAN IN SINGAPORE. THEY ARE STILL OF COURSE VERY INTERESTED IN THE DETAILS OF OUR CONTINUED PRESENCE IN SINGAPORE, BUT FEEL THAT THEY HAVE ALREADY REALLY GOT THE SUBSTANCE OF WHAT THEY WANT THERE IN
IS HMG'S CLEAR DECLARATION OF INTENTION, NOW THEIR ATTENTION CONCENTRATED ON THE PERSIAN GULF AND THE ARRANGEMENTS WHICH WE MAKE THERE FOR ENSURING CONTINUED STABILITY.
14/10
3. AS REGARDS PURELY BI-LATERAL SUBJECTS I SUGGEST THAT THE PRIME
MINISTER MIGHT RAISE:
(A) THE TRADE TALKS
1 AND (B) HONG KONG AND THE UNCTAD GENERALISED PREFERENCES .
THE PRIME MINISTER WOULD NOT OF COURSE WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN THE DETAILS OF THE TRADE TALKS: ASSUMING THAT THE BOARD OF TRADE ARE READY FOR IT BY THEN, THE OBJECT OF RAISING THE MATTER WITH MR SATO WOULD SIMPLY BE TO TRY TO GET THEM MOVING AGAIN RATHER MORE RAPIDLY. AS FOR HONG KONG, I THINK THAT THERE WOULD BE EVERY ADVANTAGE IN RAISING THIS WITH MR. SATO IF WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE JAPANESE REPLY TO YOUR MESSAGE IN THE MEANWHILE, THE VAPIOUS JAPANESE MINISTRIES CONCERNED ARE DIVIDED IN THEIR ATTITUDE ON THIS SUBJECT, ALTHOUGH THOSE ADVOCATING EXCLUSION SEEM THE STRONGER SIDE. IT MIGHT JUST REDRESS THE BALANCE IF MR. HEATH WERE ABLE TO AROUSE MR. SATO'S PERSONAL INTEREST IN THE MATTER BY CONVINCING HIM OF THE DANGERS OF EXCLUDING HONG
/4, ALTHOUGH KONG.
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413.
CONF LOENT