CODE 18 77
SECRET
Reference
Mr Walker, Research Dept. HIKO 20/1
10 FEB 1983
cc: Mr Hoare, HKGD
Mr Thomson, FED
IN A
71
AA512
STATUS OF MACAO
1.
You asked whether it was true
Konst. Kows ti.
471/2
PS
Macao
that the Portuguese
Prime Minister said in February 1979 that Macao was "Chinese territory under Portuguese administration".
On 13
2. There was some confusion over this at the time. February Hong Kong reported "a UPI report datelined Lisbon 8 February" quoting the then Portuguese Prime Minister (Mota Pinto) as saying at a press conference following the announcement of diplomatic relations with China that Macao was "Chinese territory but remains under Portuguese administration". Hong Kong remarked that no other agency report they had seen had quoted this remark. Mr Cortazzi asked the Portuguese Ambassador in London about this, and the latter confirmed "that the Portuguese Prime Minister had said that 'in the Portuguese constitution it is declared that Macao is Chinese territory under Portuguese administration'". Martins added that in fact the Portuguese constitution only states that "Macao is a territory under Portuguese administration" and the Prime Minister had added in the reference to China. Ha Lisbon, however, commented on 14 February that there was nothing in any of the local press to suggest that the Prime Minister had spoken in the terms reported by UPI, and followed this up on 20 February with a further report after checking with the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's office. Although there was no transcript of Mota Pinto's press conference, officials were sure that he had not said that Macao was Chinese territory. Lisbon thought that it was "inherently unlikely that he would do so".
3. It seems, therefore, that the Americans are basing themselves on the UPI report, without foundations. As you know, the recent Research Department Note on Macao dealt with the relationship between the establishment of Sino-Portuguese relations in February 1979, and discussions on the status of Macao said to have taken place at the same time (para 7).
THIS IS A COPY
THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN
CLOSED FOR
40 YEARS UNDER FOI EXEMPTION NO... 27.(2).
10 February 1983
Denise Mil
Miss D M Mills
West & Southern European Section Research Department
G 85A/3 233 3858
SECRET