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GRS 225
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 131104Z FEB 79
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 263 OF 13 FEBRUARY
AND TO PRIORITY LISBON
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INFO PRIORITY PEKING, ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON.
LISBON TELNO 56 TO FCO: SINO-PORTUGUESE DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS.
1. ACCORDING TO A UPI REPORT DATELINED LISBON 8 FEBRUARY, PRIME MINISTER PINOT, WHEN SPEAKING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH CHINA, SAID OF . MACAU **IT IS CHINESE TERRITORY BUT REMAINS UNDER PORTUGUESE
ADMINISTRATION"'. NO OTHER AGENCY REPORT SEEN HERE QUOTES THIS
REMARK.
2. THE UP! STORY WAS CARRIED BY THE DA GONG BAO (TA KUNG PAD) ONE OF THE LEADING LOCAL COMMUNIST PAPERS. IT WAS NOT, HOWEVER, PICKED UP BY THE OTHER COMMUNIST PAPERS.
3. GRATEFUL TO KNOW IF PINTO DID SPEAK AS REPORTED AND, IF SO, WHETHER ANY PARTICULAR SIGNIFICANCE SHOULD BE ATTACHED TO HIS REMARKS.
4. THE PRESS HERE HAS TAKEN IT AS A GOOD SIGN THAT THERE IS NO REFERENCE TO MACAU IN THE COMMUNIQUE ON ESTABLISHING DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS. WITHOUT MAKING THIS SPECIFIC POINT, ONE OF THE COMMUNIST PAPERS, THE NEW EVENING POST, COMMENTED: ''THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPOLMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND PORTUGAL WILL BE GOOD FOR THE TWO COUNTRIES OF CHINA AND PORTUGAL AS WELL AS FOR THE TWO TERRITORIES OF HONG KONG AND MACAU**.
MACLEHOSE