Malangka da tran
GR 325
CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING 150830Z JUL 81
TO PRIORITY FCO
CONFIDENTAL
TELNO 509 OF 15 JULY 1981.,
04011
RECEIVED ST
040/1
RPTD INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG (PERSONAL FOR ACTUET981
SAVING TO CANBERRA.
SI
8.0.
ACTRY
ction Taken
MY TELNO 502: FUTURE OF HONG KONG.
INDEX
PA
10
1. WE HAVE NOW SEEN THE MINUTES OF LI XIANNI AN'S
MEETING WITH AUSTRLIAN PARLIAMENTAR I ANS.
के
2. ONE OF THE DELEGATION HAD ASKED WHAT ROLE TAIWAN
AND HONG KONG PLAYED IN CHINA'S ECONOMY AND WHAT CHANGES WOULD
BE BROUGHT ABOUT IF CHINA TOOK OVER CONTROL OF TAIWAN AND HONG
KONG. LI HAD SAID THAT, ON HONG KONG, CHINA DID NOT YET HAVE
MUCH IN MIND. THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE NEGOTIATIONS”. THIS
WAS NECESSARY, LI SAID, BECAUSE THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT
IN HONG KONG NOT JUST FROM HONG KONG BUSINESSMEN THEMSELVES BUT
ALSO FROM OTHER FOREIGN INVESTORS. IN ANY CASE CHINA WOULD ENSURE
THAT SUCH INVESTMENTS WOULD BE FULLY PROTECTED.
3. THE AUSTRALIANS ARE CERTAIN THAT THE WORD USED WAS **NEGOTIA- TIONS'', BUT LI DID NOT SPECIFY WITH WHOM. THEY THINK IT WAS PERHAPS A DELIBERATELY OPEN-MINDED STATEMENT. THE POINT ABOUT
''OTHER FOREIGN INVESTORS' WAS OF COURSE IMPORTANT TO THE AUST-
RALIANS THEMSELVES.
4. LI'S STATEMENT IS LESS DRAMATIC THAN HAD BEEN SUGGESTED
ORALLY BY THE AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR. BUT IN SPITE OF LI'S
REMARK THAT CHINA DID NOT YET HAVE MUCH IN MIND, HIS USE OF
THE WORD NEGOTIATIONS MAY SHOW A SMALL MOVE FORWARD IN CHINESE
THINKING.
5.
FULL AUSTRALIAN RECORD FOLLOWS BY BAG.
6.
FCO
PLEASE PASS SFOING CANBERRA.
ATKINSON
LIMITED
HKGD (4)
FED
SAD
TRED
INFORMAMON D
NEWS D
SIRE YOUDE
MRDONALD
REPEATED AS
REQUESTED
поч
лубчиво
27.7.
CONFIDENTAL
THIS TELEGRAM WAS NOT
ADVANCED
(70