CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO DESKBY 310130Z HONG KONG
TELNO 1439
OF 30180OZ JULY 90
CONFIDENTIAL
EC
нивого 122
BY
0 1 AUG 1990
CFR
AND TO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
18
013231 MDHOAN 3275
TOP COPY Q DIST?
PERSONAL FOR ACTING GOVERNOR FROM MARSDEN HKD
COMMONWEALTH FINANCE MINISTERS' MEETING 1991
AT A LUNCH WITH THE PUS ON 27 JULY, PETER UNWIN, THE DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE COMMONWEALTH SECRETARIAT, RAISED THE POSSIBILITY OF HOLDING NEXT YEAR'S COMMONWEALTH FINANCE MINISTERS' MEETING IN HONG KONG.
2. WE UNDERSTAND THAT NEXT YEAR'S ANNUAL MEETINGS OF THE IMF/IBRD ARE TO BE HELD IN BANGKOK ON 15-17 OCTOBER 1991, AND THAT THE COMMONWEALTH FINANCE MINISTERS' MEETING (WHICH USUALLY TAKES PLACE A FEW DAYS BEFOREHAND) IS THEREFORE LIKELY TO BE HELD IN SOUTH EAST ASIA. THE SUGGESTION HAS BEEN MADE (IT IS NOT CLEAR BY WHOM) THAT HONG KONG MIGHT BE A SUITABLE VENUE FOR THE MEETING AND THAT THIS MIGHT BE A WELCOME SIGN OF CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG'S FUTURE.
3.
WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR VIEWS ON THIS. WE NOTE THAT YOU DO NOT PROPOSE TO SEND A REPRESENTATIVE TO THIS
YEAR'S COMMONWEALTH FINANCE MINISTERS' MEETING BUT DO INTEND
TO BE REPRESENTED AT THE 1991 MEETING, IF IT IS TO BE HELD IN ASIA. WE UNDERSTAND THAT COMMONWEALTH FINANCE MINISTERS LAST MET IN HONG KONG IN 1976. AS YOU KNOW, THE COMMONWEALTH PRESS UNION IS PLANNING TO HOLD ITS ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN HONG KONG IN OCTOBER THIS YEAR.
4. GRATEFUL TO KNOW WHETHER YOU WOULD ANTICIPATE ANY CHINESE SENSITIVITIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE COMMONWEALTH FINANCE MINISTERS' MEETING WE UNDERSTAND THAT CHIEF ANYAOKU HAS EXPRESSED SOME NERVOUSNESS THAT THE CHOICE OF HONG KONG
AS A VENUE MIGHT BE OPPOSED BY SOME MEMBERS OF THE COMMONWEALTH (EG. PAKISTAN) GIVEN THE OPPOSITION EXPRESSED AT KUALA LUMPUR OVER THE DRAFT COMMUNIQUE PASSAGE ON HONG KONG.
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