VISIT TO THE PRC LY THE GOVERNOR OF MACAU: 4-11 FEBRUARY
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ÉANES
PLEASE REFER TO CLAIRE STUBBS' LETTER, OF 11 FEBRUARY. WAS ABLE TO FULLOW THIS UP LAST NIGHT WITH JOAG FEIXEIRA, TRST SECRETARY IN THE PORTUGUESE EMBASSY. HE TOLD ME THAT GOVERNOR VASCO DE ALMEIDA E COSTA'S VISIT HAD CONCENTRATED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON ECONOMIC QUESTIONS. FEIXEIRA CITED AS AN EXAMPLE THE IMPORTANCE THAT MACAU ATTACHED TO CONSTRUCTION OF THE PROPOSED ZHUHAI AIRPORT. THE FUTURE OF MACAU HAD ONLY BEEN MENTIONED IN THE MOST SUPERFICIAL WAY DURING THE VISIT. FEICEIRA THEN REFERRED MANEDIATELY TO THE FORTHCOMING VISIT TO CHINA BY PRESIDENT (IMPLYING PERHAPS THAT THE PORTUGUESE ARE EXPECTING MACAU'S FUTURE TO BE RAISED IN RATHER MORE SUBSTANTIVE TERMS DURING THIS VISIT). FEIXEIRA SAID THAT CANES' VISIT WOULD PROBABLY TAKE PLACE UN 22-29 HAY AFTER WHICH THE PRESIDENT WOULD VISIT MACAU, PROBABLY VIA HUNG KUNG. I SUGGESTED THAT J PENGFE'S COMMENT DURING ALMEIDA E CUSTA'S VISIT THAT MACAU'S FUTURE WOULD BE ''EASILY NEGOTIATED" COULD WELL FUEL SPECULATION IN MACAU AT THE TIME OF EANES' VISIT, ABOUT THE TERRITORY'S FUTURE. FEIXEIRA WAS RELAXED ABOUT THIS POSSIBILITY. HE POINTED OUT THAT ACCORDING TO THE PORTUGUESE CONSTITUTION MACAU WAS NOT SPECIFIED AS BEING PART OF PORTUGUESE TERKITUNY. IT WAS ONLY DESCRIBED AS BEING ADMINISTERED BY PORTUGAL. FEIXEINA HIMSELF POINTED TO THE STRONG IMPLICATION THAT SOVEREIGNTY UVER THE TERRITORY, NESTED WITH THE CHINESE TU THE FACT THAT THIS WAS WIDELY BELIEVED TO DE THE CASE IN MACAU. HE CONFIRMED THE PORTUGUESE INTENTIU TO SETTLE MACAO'S FUTURE THROUGH NEGOTIATION BUT DID NOT EXPECT SUCH NEGOTIATIONS TO BEING MUCH BEFORE 1997. INDLED, HE THOUGHT NEGOTIATIONS MIGHT NOT EVEN BEGIN UNTIL AFTER THEN. THIS LATTER SUGGESTION CONTRADICTS THE STRONG INDICATIONS WHICH WE HAVE EARLIER RECEIVED FROM LU PING THAT THE CHINESE INTENJ TO SETTLE THE QUESTION OF MACAU AT THE SAME TIME AND IN THE SAME WAY AS HONG KONG (PETER THOMSON'S TELELETTER OF 12 OCTOBER 1984 TU TONY GALSWORTHY - NOT TO BTC). IT DOES, HOWEVER, ACCORD WITH DENG XIAO PING'S KEMARK THAT THE QUESTION OF MACAU COULD BE SETTLED EITHER EARLIER OR LATER THAN 1997 (PARAGRAPH 3 OF ROSIN MCLAREN'S TELELETTER 18/5701/47 OF 18 OCTOBER 1984 TO TUNY GAL SWORTHY - NOT TO BTC).
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