A attached
193
B,C,D,E
F,G
H
attached
attached
I
(195)
Mr Donard
Private Secretary
S
SECRET
MICKOAG/S,
28 JU 1983
AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC COMMENTS ON HONG KONG
1.
FROM: R D CLIFT, DATE: 8 JULY 1983
cc: PS/Mr Luce PS/PUS
Tel
are
Mr Giffard
Hd/SPD
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(194)
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content with the gehard time so no need for Pslettes
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At a press conference in Hong Kong on 4 July the
Australian Foreign Minister made unhelpful remarks about the
future of Hong Kong despite a careful briefing by the Chief
Secretary (Hong Kong telnos 953, 954, 960, 961, Peking telno
636 and Canberra telno 344). Reports of Mr Hayden's remarks
began to arrive when we were on the point of consulting
Sir J Mason about Mr Malcolm Fraser's suggestion that we speak
to Sir G Yeend in order to try to influence Australian Ministers
on public comment about China and Hong Kong. Canberra telno
349 reports that Mr Hayden leaves Australia on 15 July and will
not return before his next visit to China at the beginning of
August. It is therefore important that we should issue
instructions to reach Sir J Mason on Monday 11 July. I
submit a self explanatory draft letter from the Private Secretary
to 10 Downing St and a draft telegram to Canberra.
See (206)
2. On Mr Holmes' minute of 6 July we have indeed been keeping
the Australians closely in the picture. As well as seeing
intelligence reports and assessments they have been often briefed
at a high level in Canberra, London, Hong Kong and Peking.
It
is against this background that Mr Hayden's remarks and the
prospects for his visit to China are particularly worrying. We
can give further consideration to the nature of the briefing we
give the Australians in the light of Sir J Mason's meeting with
Mr Hayden. My present feeling is that as a second phase of talks
gets under way we should keep up to date the briefing we have
already provided, but that we should be very wary of greater
frankness. We must however re-emphasise the delicacy of the
bilateral contacts between Britain and China and the dangers to morale
and confidence in Hong Kong of public speculation about the likely
result of the negotiation.
8 July 1983
бит
R D Clift
SECRET
Hong Kong Department