GPS 243
FLAG D
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 3636152 JUL 33
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 960 OF 6 JULY 1983
INFO IMMEDIATE CANBERRA AND PRIORITY PEKING
CANBERRA TELNO 344 (NOT TO PEKING) AND MY TELSNOS 953 AND 954:
AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE.
1. IT WILL BE CLEAR FROM MY TELNO 953 THAT MR HAYDEN'S REPORTED
REMARK THAT HE HAD QUOTE GAINED ASSURANCES FROM THE ACTING
GOVERNOR AND OTHERS IN HONG KONG THAT THERE WOULD BE A SMOOTH
TRANSITION OF SOVEREIGNTY AND CONTROL UNQUOTE COULD NOT HAVE
BEEN BASED ON MY CONVERSATION WITH HIM ON 4 JULY. THIS REMARK
DOES NOT (NOT) HOWEVER APPEAR IN THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESS
CONFERENCE PROVIDED BY THE AUSTRALIANS. IN ANSWER TO A DIRECT
ENQUIRY, THE AUSTRALIAN COMMISSIONER HAS ASSURED US THAT THIS
WAS A FULL TRANSCRIPT. HE WAS PRESENT AT THE CONFERENCE AND DOES
NOT RECALL MR HAYDEN AS HAVING SPOKEN IN THESE TERMS.
2. FURTHERMORE, ACCORDING TO THE TRANSCRIPT, MR HAYDEN DID NOT SAY
THAT WHEN HE VISITS CHINA QUOTE HE WOULD SEEK FURTHER ASSURANCES
FROM CHINESE LEADERS THAT THERE WOULD BE A SMOOTH TRANSITION
IN THE HANDING BACK OF HONG KONG TO CHINESE SOVEREIGNTY UNQUOTE.
HE SAID ONLY THAT HE WOULD BE QUOTE RAISING THIS MATTER (HONG KONG)
ONCE AGAIN UNQUOTE. ALL RELEVANT EXTRACTS FROM FULL TRANSCRIPT ARE
IN MIFT.
3. AS REGARDS PARA 2 OF CANBERRA TUR, IT IS CERTAINLY OUR IMPRESSION FROM WHAT MR HAYDEN SAID TO ME, AND AT HIS PRESS CONFERENCE, THAT
THERE WAS SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSION OF HONG KONG BETWEEN MR HAYDEN
AND WU XUEQIAN IN THE MARGINS OF ZHAO ZIYANG'S VISIT TO AUSTRALIA.
WU EVIDENTLY OUTLINED THE CHINESE POSITION IN SOME DETAIL. MR
HAYDEN DID NOT SAY WHAT POINTS HE MADE.
HADDON - CAVE
FUTURE OF HONG KONG
LIMITED
HD/HKD
HD/FED
HD/PLANNING STAFF
MR BURROWS
HD/PUSD
HD/SPD
MR MARTIN
PS
PS/LADY YOUNG
MR FLOWER
PS/MR LUCE
PS/PUS
SIR J BULLARD
MR GIFFARD
MR DONALD
MR WRIGHT
COPIES TO:
SIR I SINCLAIR LEGAL ADVISER
MR COLES
LEGAL ADVISERS
ASSESSMENTS STAFF CABINET OFFICE
PUSD
NO 10 DOWNING ST
SIR A PARSONS
MR WALKER,
ft
RESEARCH DEFT (GOGGS)
MR ROBERTS NEWS D
CONFIDENTIAL