SECRET
RECORD OF MEETING BETWEEN THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG AND THE PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA AT 12.15 PM ON MONDAY 30 JANUARY 1984 AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE
PRESENT
Revised
Sir Edward Youde
Sir Philip Haddon-Cave
Sir John Bremridge
Mr RJT McLaren
Mr JF Yaxley
Mr G A Higginson
The Hon RJ L Hawke
Prime Minister of Australia
Sir Geoffrey Yeend, Secretary,
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Mr C Conybeare, First Assistant
Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Mr Whitelaw
First Assistant Secretary, Treasury Mr J Bowan, Adviser (International
Relations), Office of the Prime Minister
Mr D W Argall, Assistant Secretary,
Department of Foreign Affairs
Mr Geoff Walsh, Press Secretary
to the Prime Minister
Mr D J Horne, Commissioner for
Australia in Hong Kong
In reply to the Governor's welcome, Mr Hawke said he would
be interested to hear the Governor's views on how the discussions
were going on the future of Hong Kong.
2. The Governor said he understood that Mr Hawke had already
received an account of the eighth round of talks. He proposed to concentrate on the Hong Kong dimension. The talks were being
conducted on a bilateral basis between China and UK: this was
constitutionally correct. But the Hong Kong dimension was an essential part of the equation. HMG were now examining the Chinese proposals on a without prejudice and conditional basis. The process was working quite well; there had already been discussions
on papers concerning, among other things, the monetary system and
legal matters.
SECRET
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