CODE 18-77
CONFIDENTIAL
Mr Martin
HICD 340LL
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
CC: Mr Ehrman, PA, HKG27 MAR 1990
Mr Paul, HKD
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
NEW JAPANESE CONBUL-GENERAL
PA
REGISTRY Action Taken
Reference
Mr Mcxaren
Mr Stree Mr Marris
15/3
W
fa
inter Support fill.
1573
1. Mr Kubota paid an introductory call on me this morning. He proved agreeable and, as David Coates told us, very sharp indeed. He has good English.
2.
Clearly speaking on instructions (he was prompted by his aide), he said he wished to repeat what his predecessor had said, namely Japan was willing to do anything it could to give political support to us in our efforts to bolster Hong Kong. He hoped that I would let him know if there was anything he could do. I expressed thanks. I said that it was always helpful for countries like Japan to make clear to the Chinese in an unprovocative way the importance they attached to the success of the Joint Declaration and the continuing prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. More specifically, one of our aims was to bolster the future SAR with as wide a network of international agreements and connections as we could provide. Japanese willingness to participate in this would be very welcome. The air services agreement was a prime example. We would probably be looking at other types of agreement in the future. I hoped that the Japanese would look at these agreements not only on their specific merits, but also as part of the general policy to give political support to Hong Kong.
3.
Mr Kubota also showed interest in the PADS, saying that the Japanese financial community were a little nervous about them and about the Chinese attitude to them post 1997. I agreed that the initial Chinese reaction to the announcement of our plans had been suspicious, but explained the efforts we had been making to dispel these suspicions and enlist Chinese support. I said I was confident that the economic arguments for the PADS was so strong that the Chinese could be brought to understand their importance. Mr Kubota said that he expected to raise the matter with the Governor when he called on him.
For
A C Galsworthy
7 March 1990
CONFIDENTIAL