CONFIDENTIAL

British Embassy

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11 Guang Hua Lu Jian Guo Men Wai Peking People's Republic of China

Telex 22191 Cable Prodrome Peking

HEB Goo

with current file.

Telephone 521961/2/3/4/5

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C T Wood Esq

HKD

FCO

Your reference

Our reference

Date 11 January 1988

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Mr Jank Mr Ham 131, M My Loven.

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MACAO : SINO-PORTUGUESE JOINT DECLARATION AND JOINT LIAISON GROUP

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1.

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In my teleletter to you of 31 December (not to all) reported that it had been agreed that instruments of ratification of the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration on Macao would be exchanged by the Portuguese Ambassador to China and Vice Foreign Minister Zhou Nan in Peking on 15 January. This timing was publicly confirmed in a short, factual piece in today's "China Daily" quoting a MFA announcement made on 9 January. The announcement gave no details of who would take part in the ceremony.

2.

The Ambassador had coffee with the Portuguese Ambassador on 9 January; this provided the latter with an opportunity to seek HMA's advice on protocol and other procedures to be followed in the ceremony on 15 January (HMA gave Valerio copies of the speeches which he and Zhou Nan made during our own exchange of instruments of ratification in 1985). In return, Valerio gave HMA a list of the Chinese Joint Liaison Group members together with a list of members of the Chinese delegation to the Sino-Portuguese Land Commission. I enclose a copy of each.

3.

official

Valerio told HMA that the leader of the Chinese JLG team, Kang Jimin, was currently Consul-General in Budapest and that he

As to the had previously served as Ambassador in Copenhagen. Portuguese JLG team, Valerio said that it would be led by an

Administration who was currently head of the MFA's Consular and Department: the other four members had not yet been chosen the annoyance of the Chinese (Valerio commented that the Portuguese did not work as quickly as we did!).

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to

4. Finally, you might have picked up reports in the Hong Kong press recently to the effect that the Portuguese would not be fielding a minister at the 15 January ceremony because of political differences between the two sides (these have been publicly countered by the Portuguese who have said that their Foreign Minister would visit Peking later this year). Current rumour in

CONFIDENTIAL

/Peking

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