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CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 120755Z AUG 82

TO PRIORITY F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 970 OF 12 AUGUST

INFO WELLINGTON BRUNCI PEKING SEOUL TOKYO BANGKOK

YOUR TELIO 269 TO WELLINGTON: ASIAN PACIFIC POSTAL UNION (APPU) EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING

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THE CONCEPNS DESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH 4 OF YOUR TUR PRESUMABLY RELATE TO SUPPOSED CHINESE SENSITIVITES ABOUT HONG KONG'S COLONIAL STATUS. HONG KONG'S PRESENCE AT RECIONAL INTERNATIONAL GATHERINGS OF THIS KIND AROUSES OBJECTIONS FROM THE CHINESE ONLY IF HONG KONG IS PRESENTED OR REFERRED TO IN DOCUMENTS AS A COUNTRY IN ITS OWN RICHT. ON PAST EXPERIENCE THE PROCEDURE SUGGESTED BY TAWAKE WOULD NOT (NOT) CAUSE DIFFICULTIES WITH THE CHINESE. INDEED, THE ALTERNATIVE PROCEDURE SEEMS MORE LIKELY TO PROVOKE THE IR OBJECTIONS. HONG KONG REPRESENTATIVES AT SUCH A CONFERENCE WOULD BE BRIEFED TO ENSURE THAT THE APPROPRIATE DRAFTING TRICKS WERE USED IN ANY CONFERENCE DOCUMENTS TO ENSURE THAT HONG KONG WAS NOT ACCIDENTALLY DESCRIBED AS A COUNTRY, DUT ONLY REFERRED TO AS A POSTAL ADMINISTRATION. THE APPU CONGRESS, WHERE IMPORTANT DECISIONS ARE TAKEN, IS OF MUCH GREATER INTEREST TO US THAN THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING IN SEOUL. WE ARE THEREFORE PREPARED TO DROP THE IDEA OF ATTENDING THE SEOUL MEETING EVEN THOUGH THE DIFFICULTIES DESCRIBED IN YOUR TUR ARE MORE IMAGINARY THAN REAL.

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COPIES TO:

MR WATTS, LEGAL ADVISERS MISS.S.SMITH, D.0.1.

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