IMMED LATE
GPS 245
CYPHER/CAT A
HONG KONG 1709032
ONFIDENTIAL.
TO IMMEDIATE F.C.0 TELNO.896 OF 17 JULY 78,
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, LISBON,
MY TELNO.888 : HONG KONG AND MACAU,
RECETA
INDEX
TOP
1 7 JUL 1978
OFFICER
PA
No lat
CO
D. 51
RY
ken
चू
65
1. THE POLITICAL ADVISER SPOKE TODAY TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE NONA,
LI CHU-SHENG, AS INSTRUCTED IN PARA.4 OF YOUR TELNO.122 TO LISBON. HE STARTED BY CONFIRMING WHAT LI HAD SAID ABOUT MACAU ON 29 JUNE
(MY TELNO.811) AND THEN TOLD HIM WHAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE HAD
SAID TO THE PORTUGUESE FOREIGN MINISTER AND HOW THE LATTER HAD
REPLIED.
2. LI APPEARED GENUINELY SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT THE CHINESE
AMBASSADOR IN PARIS HAD RAISED THE QUESTION OF MACAU. HE SAID HE HAD HEARD NOTHING ABOUT IT. HE THOUGHT CHINA'S POSITION WAS THAT
THE MATTER SHOULD NOT BE RAISED AT PRESENT''. THIS FITTED IN WITH CHINA'S POLICY TOWARDS OTHER UNRESOLVED ISSUES,
3. LI SAID HE UNDERSTOOD THAT SOARES HAD SPOKEN IN THE PORTUGUESE ASSEMBLY IN FEBRUARY OR MARCH THIS YEAR ABOUT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF RELATIONS WITH CHINA. HE HAD THEN SAID THAT THE QUESTIONS OF
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS AND MACAU WERE SEPARATE. THAT, LI THOUGHT, WAS CHINA'S POSITION ALSO. IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY SIGNIFICANT
CHANGE HE WAS SURE THAT PEKING WOULD HAVE TOLD HIM. HE WOULD NOW
SEEK CLARIFICATION AND UNDERTOOK TO LET THE POLITICAL ADVISER
KNOW IF ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT RESULTED.
4. PLEASE SEE MIFT,
ROBERTS
FILES
HK & GD (6)
62
FED
SED
NTO
LEGAL ADVISERS
RESEARCH D
PS
PS/LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS
MR CORTAZZI
MR FERGUSSON
MR MURRAY
CONFIDENTIAL