A
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Mr
Crist
SECRET
cc: Mr Thomson, FED
Reference.....
HKK 040/5
Noted Af 14/3
Reg: Bu 22/3
FUTURE OF HONG KONG : THE AUSTRALIANS
LLAK040/5.
INDEX
14 MAR 1983
is CHR214
1.
While Sir E Youde and Sir P Cradock are here IT might be worth touching on Zhao's visit to Australia and New Zealand during the first half of April. (New Zealand is confirmed for 13 - 17 April with Australia a few days earlier.) Mr Donald wrote to the Ambassador, copied to the Governor, on 18 February, seeking their thoughts on how we might play the Australians (who, as you know, are now getting JIC material on the future).
2.
So far as Australia is concerned, there has of course now been a change of government, a subject raised in paragraph 3 of the attached teleletter from Mr Peirce in Peking.
3.
As you can see Mr Peirce's Australian colleague, Mr Uren, thought that Mr Hawke's Government was less likely to speak on our behalf to the Chinese than its predecessor which itself would not have been particularly forthcoming.
4.
(74
True as that may be, it is quite likely that Zhao himself will raise Hong Kong, if only to make 'assuring' noises about nothing changing after 1997 under the Chinese plan, in order to discourage possible concern among Australian investors. Zhao might also resort to giving the Australians a very misleading picture of where our talks stand.
5.
It would be nice therefore if the Australians, as Mr Peirce suggests, could tell the Chinese a thing or two about capitalism, why Hong Kong works as it does and what factors lie behind its prosperity and stability.
6.
I therefore suggest that nearer the time the Australians should be offered a briefing, either here or in Canberra, on exactly the same lines as are set out in Sir O Wright's letter of 24 January to Mr Shultz. This would give the Australians a free hand to say what they want, but also provides them with a number of ideas and points that we should be glad to see them getting across if they judged it appropriate.
CODE 18,77
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17.
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