1个
RESTRICTED
FM PEKING
TO ROUTINE F C 0
TELNO 1594
MKB 02017 RECE
RESTRICTED
15 NOV 1990
fo
OF 14061OZ NOVEMBER 90
FM14/"
070341
MDLIAN 6827
TOP TOPY Q DIST ?/
INFO ROUTINE SINGAPORE, HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
YOUR TELNO 450.
CHINA/SINGAPORE/HONG KONG: LEE KWAN YEW VISIT.
1.
WE CALLED ON THE SINGAPORE EMBASSY ON 13 NOVEMBER. JACKIE FO0 SAID THAT HE HAD BEEN THE NOTETAKER FOR THE WORKING SESSIONS WITH PREMIER LI PENG AND PRESIDENT YANG SHANGKUN. HE HAD NOT BEEN PRESENT AT THE MEETING WITH GENERAL SECRETARY JIANG ZEMIN. HE DID NOT THINK THAT HONG KONG HAD BEEN RAISED DURING THE VISIT. HE SAID THAT THEIR COPIES OF THE RECORDS OF CONVERSATION HAD ALREADY BEEN DESTROYED BUT WAS EMBARRASSED TO FIND ON FILE THE F C O REQUEST FOR LEE TO SPEAK TO THE CHINESE LEADERS ON HONG KONG. HE THEN SAID THAT HE WAS SURE THAT HIS PRIME MINISTER WOULD HAVE DONE SO EXCLAM.
2.
FOO SAID THAT NO RECORD HAD BEEN MADE OF THE CONVERSATIONS AT BANQUETS WITH LI PENG OR JIANG ZEMIN. IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT LEE HAD SPOKEN THEN. WE WOULD HAVE TO CHECK WITH SINGAPORE.
3
ON THE VISIT GENERALLY, FOO SAID THAT THE CHINESE PRESS HAD REPORTED NEARLY EVERY ASPECT FACTUALLY. THE ONE EXCEPTION WAS THE CHINESE REPORT WHICH HAD SAID THAT LEE HAD CALLED FOR EVERY EFFORT TO BE MADE FOR A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO THE GULF CRISIS. LEE HAD IN FACT CALLED ON THE CHINESE TO GET THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL TO PUT MORE PRESSURE ON IRAQ TO WITHDRAW UNCONDITIONALLY FROM KUWAIT.
4. LEE'S PURPOSE IN COMING WAS TO SIGN OFF WITH THE CHINESE LEADERS AND TO INTRODUCE HIS SUCCESSOR. ALL THE ISSUES HAD BEEN COVERED DURING LI PENG'S VISIT TO SINGAPORE AND THERE HAD BEEN LITTLE SUBSTANCE. NO AGREEMENTS WERE SIGNED. THE FORMAL SESSIONS WITH THE LEADERS HAD ALL BEEN FAIRLY BRIEF.
5. FOO DID NOT THINK THAT THE CHINESE HAD PROTESTED ABOUT LEE'S VISIT TO TAIWAN IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE VISIT TO CHINA. HE SAID THAT LEE VISITED TAIWAN MOST YEARS. FOO DID NOT RISE WHEN WE SUGGESTED THAT LEE'S VISIT HAD BEEN AN UNSUBTLE MESSAGE TO THE CHINESE THAT SINGAPORE WAS NOT YET READY TO ABANDON TAIWAN.
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