CONFIDENTIAL
Acknowledging that he himself, as he had told me last time, was unhappy with Portuguese policy over Macau, Ramos said that he had reconciled himself to their fairly cooperative line towards China since he doubted whether there would have been adequate political support in Macau or indeed Portugual for a tougher line.
4. Describing our own recent experiences in general terms, I asked him whether the Chinese had been making any comments to the Portuguese about subversion or internationalisation, the two most prominent of their current propaganda attacks on us. Ramos said they had given a general low-key warning about subversion but had not sought to press the point. They had asked the Portuguese about Chinese nationals using Macau to escape from China. The Portuguese had denied all knowledge of any such event, which they well knew the Chinese knew to be false, but both sides had been content to let the matter drop. As far as internationalisation was concerned, the situation was hardly comparable and not even the Chinese could suspect the Portuguese of any such plan. Ramos commented that he thought the passion in the Chinese attacks came from the weakening of their international prestige. In the early '70s they had argued against the UN taking an interest in Hong Kong and Macau and had been almost universally supported by the international community. People's views of China were much more realistic now and he thought the Chinese were genuinely worried about what the result would be if, for example, Hong Kong and Macau were raised at the UN.
5. I asked him about how he saw his Governor's performance in Peking and generally. He said that he had been fairly impressed. Melancia had been rather starry-eved about China during his first visit, but he was beginning to see the extent of China's ambitions to control Macau and their continuing interference in its administration. In Ramos' view however, Melancia saw his role as transforming Macau's infrastructure. Not only did he see this a a good legacy for Portugual to leave behind, but would also guarantee him a prestigious and comfortable retirement. The latest development on this front was reclamation of the Praia Grande to allow a massive high-rise development, which will utterly destroy the most famous historical view of Macau from the sea.
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16.