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FI FCO 0114007 APRIL 62
TO PRIORITY HONG KONG (GOVERNOR)
TELEGRAM NUMBER 212 OF 1 APRIL
AND TO LISBON AND PEKING
FROM FED
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: STATUS OF MACAO
1.
16 J
1 from 3/4
THE SECRETARY OF STATE WILL BE MEETING PORTUGUESE MINISTERS
IN LISBON 19/20 APRIL. WE ARE CONSIDERING WHETHER TO RECOMMEND
THAT HE MIGHT ASK THE PORTUGUESE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
WHAT THEY AGREED WITH THE CHINESE CONCERNING THE STATUS OF MACAO
BEFORE THE TWO COUNTRIES ESTABLISHED DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS IN FEBRUARY 1979. QUESTIONS OF THESE LINES COULD BE PRESENTED AS
FOLLOWING FAIRLY NATURALLY FROM GONSALVES PEREIRA'S REMARKS
ABOUT MACAO DURING HIS MEETING WITH THE LPS LAST NOVEMBER.
2. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS INDICIATIONS THAT MACAO'S STATUS (AND SOVEREIGNTY) WERE RAISED AND SATISFACTORILY DEFINED BY MUTUAL AGREEMENT DURING THE NEGOTIATIONS BEFORE FEBRUARY 1979. OUR BEST INFORMATION SO FAR CAME FROM THE PORTUGUESE CHARGE IN PEKING IN JULY 1979 (GEORGE'S TELELETTER 020/354/1 TO SAMUEL OF 30 JULY 1979). HE SAID THAT THE CHINESE HAD PRESSED FOR AN OPEN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT BY PORTUGAL THAT MACAO WAS CHINESE TERRITORY BUT HAD EVENTUALLY SETTLED FOR A PRIVATE ORAL ACCEPTANCE OF THIS PRINCIPLE. THE PORTUGUESE HAD FEARED THAT A MORE PUBLIC STATE- MENT WOULD LEAD TO AN OUTCRY AT HOME. THE THEN PORTUGUESE FOREIGN MINISTER APPEARS TO HAVE DECIDED HOWEVER THAT NO DETAILS OF THE UNDERSTANDING ON MACAO SHOULD BE PASSED TO US (SEE FOR EXAMPLE LORD MORAN'S MINUTE OF 16 AUGUST 1979 AND SAMUEL'S LETTER TO GEORGE OF 30 AUGUST 1979). WE HOPE THAT THE PASSAGE OF THREE YEARS MAY HAVE MADE THIS A RATHER LESS SENSITIVE ISSUE FOR THE PORTUGUESE. FOR ONE THING THE CHINESE HAVE NOT BEEN ENTIRELY DISCREET. FOR EXAMPLE, THE THEN ASSISTANT FOREIGN MINISTER, SONG ZHIGUANG TOLD REUTERS IN MARCH 1981 THAT PORTUGAL RECOGNISED CHINA'S SOVEREIGNTY OVER MACAO.(PEKING TELNO 22 OF 1981 TO HONG KONG).
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1981
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