FLAG F
SECRET
GRS 330
SECRET
FROM PEKING 060335Z JUL 83
TO ROUTINE FCO
M
TELEGRA, NUMBER 636 OF 6/7/83
INFO
ROUTINE HONG KONG CANBERRA
HONG KONG TEL NOS 953 AND 954: HAYDEN PRESS CONFERENCE
1. THE AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY HAS PASSED US THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE. IT WAS A MOST UNHELPFUL PERFORMANCE BY HAYDEN, AND PARTICULARLY ANNOYING IN THAT HE SPOKE AS HE DID ABOUT *TRANSITION DESPITE THE ACTING GOVERNOR'S CORRECTIVE BRIEFING ON THIS POINT. AS HONG KONG HAVE NOTED, HE HAS CREATED THE IMPRESSION THAT HE (AND, BY EXTENSION THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERN- MENT) REGARDS A TRANSITION TO CHINESE CONTROL AS A FOREGONE CONCLUSION AND THAT CHINESE ASSURANCES ABOUT THE FUTURE ARE SATISFACTORY. FURTHERMORE, SINCE HAYDEN'S REMARKS WERE MADE SO SOON AFTER HE HAD DISCUSSED THE QUESTION WITH THE ACTING GOVERNOR AND OTHERS IN HONG KONG, HIS VIEWS MAY SEEM TO BE BASED ON KNOWLEDGE OF THE BRITISH POSITION, AND GIVE CREDENCE TO THE STORY THAT BRITAIN HAS ALREADY GIVEN UP SOVEREIGNTY.
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2. SEEN FROM HERE, HAYDEN WILL NOT HAVE HELPED CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG. HE MAY ALSO HAVE DONE US HARM WITH THE CHINESE, PARTICULARLY IF, IN HIS EXTENDED DISCUSSIONS WITH WU XUEQIAN (OF WHICH WE WERE NOT INFORMED WHEN THE AUSTRALIANS BRIEFED US ABOUT ZHAO'S VISIT), HE TOOK THE LINE HE SEEMS TO HAVE TAKEN, IE ACCEPTING CHINESE ASSURANCES AT THEIR FACE VALUE AND TAKING THEIR
**PLAN
AS THE BASIS FOR THE FUTURE.
SEORET
/ 3. SINCE HAYDEN