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TOP COPY
HKK040/5
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
! AUG 1983
TO PRIORITY FCO
FM HONG KONG 190140Z AUG 83
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1233 OF 19 AUGUST
ENFOR PRIORITY CANBERRA,
PEKING
(243)
DESK OFFICER
REGISTRY
INDEX
PA
Action Taken
CANBERRA TELNO 409: FUTURE OF HONG KONG: MR HAYDEN'S VISIT TO CHINA. 1. PARSONS' ASSERTHONS ABOUT THE BRIEFING GIVEN BY SIR E. YOUDE ARE NOT (NOT) ACCURATE. THE MEETING WAS A BRIEF ONE, BUT BOTH MR HAYDEN'S AND SIR E. YOUDE'S TIME WAS VERY LIMITED. HAYDEN GAVE NO INDICATION THAT HE WISHED TO PROLONG THE INTERVIEW AND IN ANY CASY HAD TO LEAVE FOR A HELICOPTER TOUR OF HONG KONG WHICH HAD BEEN ARRANGED FOR HIM. NOR IS IT CORRECT TO SAY THAT THE BRIEFING WAS NOT SUBSTANTIVE. SHR E. YOUDE EXPLAINED FRANKLY THE DIFFICULT POSITION IN WHICH WE FOUND OURSELVES WITH THE CHINESE AND THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THEIR INSISTENCE ON RECOVERING SOVEREIGNTY AND ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL OF HONG KONG BY 1997 WOULD PROVE IMMOVEABLE. HE ALSO EXPLAINED THE APPARENT UNWILLINGNESS OF THE CHINESE TO CONSIDER THE WITAL IMPORTANCE OF CONFIDENCE.
2. BOTH IN HIS CONVERSATION WITH SAR E. YOUDE AND HIS EARLIER MEETING WATH ME AS ACTING GOVERNOR, HAYDEN TENDED TO PLAY DOWN THE EXTENT OF AUSTRAL HAN INTERESTS. THE IMPLICATION OF HIS REMARKS WAS THAT THESE WERE LIMITED TO ENSURE THAT THERE WOULD BE NO MASS EXODUS OF PEOPLE FROM HONG KONG IN THE DIRECTION OF AUSTRALIA. THIS IS THEREFORE INCONSISTENT WITH PARSONS' ASSERTIONS QUOTED IN PARAGRAPH 4 OF CANBERRA TEL UNDER REF.
3. IT MAY BE TRUE THAT HAYDEN SPOKE STRONGLY AND EFFECTIVELY TO THE CHINESE ABOUT THE PROBLEMS IN HONG KONG. BUT IT IS ALSO TRUE THAT HAYDEN HAS SPOKEN TOO MUCH AND TO VERY BAD EFFECT PUBLICLY ON THE SAME PROBLEM. PARSONS' EXPLANATION FOR MR HAYDEN'S USE OF THE WORD "ENCOURAGING'' DOES NOT EXPLAIN THE DIFFICULTIES CAUSED BY HAYDEN'S REMARKS ABOUT TRANSITION AFTER HIS PREVIOUS VISIT TO HONG KONG. ON BOTH OCCASIONS, HAYDEN ASSURED ME AND SIR E. YOUDE RESPECTIVELY THAT HE UNDERSTOOD THE POINTS WE MADE, THE NEED FOR CONFIDENTIALITY, AND THE SENSITIVITY OF THE SUBJECT. YET ON 30TH OCCASIONS, HH IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS SPOKE IN AN UNNECESSARILY UNHELPFUL FASHION IN PUBLIC. FROM HONG KONG'S PONT
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