WELCOME THE IDEA.
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3. THE QUESTION IS WHAT, IF ANYTHING, WE CAN DO ABOUT IT. SEEN FROM HERE, NOTHING CAN BE ACHIEVED ON THE POINT BY SPEAKING TO THE
PORTUGUESE. WE REMAIN UNIMPRESSED WITH THEIR APPROACH TO THE
FORTHCOMING NEGOTIATIONS: BRIEF DISCUSSION WITH THE PORTUGUESE
AMBASSADOR HERE ON THE OCCASION OF THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEW GOVERNOR
OF MACAU ON 27TH SUGGESTED THAT THE PORTUGUESE ARE STILL DEVOTING
THEIR MAIN EFFORT TO SUCH ISSUES AS WHICH LANGUAGE TO NEGOTIATE
IN AND WHETHER PORTUGUESE FACE PERMITS ALL THE NEGOTIATIONS TO
BE HELD IN PEKING (AND TO BE DESCRIBED BY THE THIN CHINESE AS ''TALKS'').
4. MORE MIGHT BE ACHIEVED BY SPEAKING TO THE CHINESE, WITH WHOME
WE SEEM TO HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING ON THE BASIC DO'S AND DON'TS
OF THE MACAU NEGOTIATIONS (SEE FOR EXAMPLE WILSON'S DISCUSSION WITH KE IN BRUSSELS). IT MIGHT BE USEFUL IF WILSON WERE TO HAVE A FURTHER WORD WITH KE IN THE MARGINS OF THE LONDON JLG, UNDERLINING THAT, WHILE IT IS NOT OUR AFFAIR, THE HANDLING OF THE GATT POINT IN THE MACAU NEGOTIATIONS COULD RESULT IN
CONSIDERABLE AWKWARDNESS FOR HONG KONG: AND COULD INDEED, ON THE WORST CASE, UNDERMINE WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED TOGETHER:
MAKING THE GATT ARRANGEMENTS FOR HONG KONG STICK IS STRONGLY
IN THE JOINT CHINESE AND BRITISH INTEREST - AND IN THE LONGER TERM
MACAU INTEREST AS WELL.
HOWE
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