4.
I DO NOT THINK THAT WE SHOULD ATTACH TOO MUCH IMPORTANCE TO FUJII'S PROPOSAL FOR TALKS SURFACING AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME. THE REMARKS WERL MADE LATE ON IN THE SESSION ON ASIAN AFFAIRS
AND DID NOT BEAR THE HALLMARKS OF BEING A PROPOSAL WHICH THE JAPANESE HAD LAUNCHED DELIBERATELY AT THIS TIME: INDEED FUJII HIMSELF REMARKED THAT IT WAS PERHAPS INAPPROPRIATE TO MAKE SUCH A PROPOSAL, WHICH RELATED TO CURRENT BUSINESS, IN THE CONTEXT OF PLANNING TALKS. IT WAS PROBABLY PROMPTED BY A CONFERENCE HELD IN HONG KONG LAST WEEK AND ATTENDED BY THE JAPANESE DEPUTY HEADS OF MISSION FROM EAST AND SOUTH-EAST ASIA AT WHICH A MAJOR TOPIC OF DISCUSSION HAD BEEN FUTURE JAPANESE POLITICAL INFLUENCE IN THE AREA. THE JAPANESE INTEREST IN INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG WAS PROBABLY A CONTRIBUTORY FACTOR, ALTHOUGH NOT AT THIS STAGE A VERY INPORTANT ONE(SEE FUJII'S REMARKS ABOUT THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT'S PRESENT GUIDANCE WHICH WERE COMPLEMENTED BY
CHRISTOPHER MALLABY'S STATEMENT THAT THE MOOD IN HONG KONG AND ELSEWHERE ABOUT THE FINANCIAL MARKET AND THE PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVESTMENT WERE AS BULLISH AS EVES).
5. I HAVE SEEN A FAIR AMOUNT OF FUJII RECENTLY (HE ALSO ATTENDED THE AMBASSADOR'S LUNCH FOR ANTONY ACLAND FOUR OR FIVE WEEKS AGO AND I HAVE FOUND HIM A LEVEL HEADED, THOUGHTFUL AND APPARENTLY WELL DISPOSED UNDER-SECRETARY LEVEL JAPANESE OFFICIAL WHOM ONE COULD EXPECT TO GO A LONG WAY FURTHER IN HIS CAREER. YOU WILL DOUBTLESS WISH TO PLAY THIS PARTICULAR IDEA LONG AND I WOULD NOT SEE ANY SERIOUS DIFFICULTY INDOING SO. IT IS OF COURSE A
POINT THAT WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY LIVE WITH THE PROSPECT OF A
VISIT BY THE PRIME MINISTER TO JAPAN AS WELL AS CHINA AND HONG KONG THIS AUTUMN. IT WOULD THEREFORE BE HELPFUL IF IN QUE COURSE YOU COULD LET ME KNOW WHETHER THERE IS ANYTHING THAT I CAN
ADD TO THE OBVIOUS LINE THAT WE ARE APPRECIATIVE OF THIS JAPANESE OFFER OF DISCREET ASSISTANCE, THAT WE RECOGNISE THE QUITE STRONG AND INCREASING JAPANESE STAKE IN HONG KONG, THAT THERE COULD BE A MOMENT WHEN A WORD BY THE JAPANESE MIGHT BE OF ASSISTANCE, BUT THAT AT THIS STAGE THERE IS NOTHING MUCH MORE THAT WE CAN SAY. IF FUJII WERE THEN TO REPLY THAT, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT THE MOMENT WAS OPPORTUNE FOR ANY ACTION ON THE PART OF THE JAPANESE, IT WOULD NEVERTHELESS LE HELPFUL FOR THEM TO HAVE AN INFORMAL EXCHANGE OF VIEWS ABOUT LIKELY DEVELOPMENTS, I WOULD SIMPLY TAKE NOTE AND ASK FOR INSTRUCTIONS AS A WAY OF BUYING TIME.
SIGNED J S WHITEHEAD.
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TELELETTER TO HONGKONG
GRS 358
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