UNCLASSIFIED
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MDLIAN
PARTICIPANT IN OUR OWN RIGHT WE BELIEVE WE HAVE A LEGITIMATE INTEREST IN APEC AND HAVE THEREFORE BEEN PARTICIPATING ACTIVELY IN THE CONSULTATIONS REFERRED TO IN (C) ABOVE WITH A VIEW TO SECURING FULL MEMBERSHIP,
(H) WE HAVE RECENTLY BEEN ADMITTED TO FULL MEMBERSHIP OF THE PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION CONFERENCE (PECC) AND HOPE THIS WILL PROVIDE A STEPPING STONE TO APEC.
2. AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND WE WOULD PROPOSE THE FOLLOWING LINE FOR PRESS ENQUIRIES ABOUT HMG'S ROLE IN LOBBYING FOR HONG KONG'S PARTICIPATION IN APEC:
'HONG KONG'S PARTICIPATION IN APEC IS A MATTER FOR THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO CONSIDER ON ITS OWN. HMG IS ACCORDINGLY NOT LOBBYING ON HONG KONG'S BEHALF. HMG UNDERSTANDS HOWEVER THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE CONSULTATIONS WHICH WERE SET IN TRAIN AT THE APEC II MINISTERIAL MEETING IN JULY 1990 AIMED AT EXPANDING PARTICIPATION IN APEC TO INCLUDE, INTER ALIA, HONG KONG'.
3. IF ASKED FOR A VIEW ON HONG KONG'S CLAIMS, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO SAY:
'FROM HMG'S POINT OF VIEW, HONG KONG IS A SIGNIFICANT REGIONAL ECONOMY, IS WELL QUALIFIED TO PARTICIPATE FULLY IN APEC AND WOULD SEEM TO HAVE A GREAT DEAL TO OFFER TO, AND BENEFIT FROM, SUCH A REGIONAL CONSULTATIVE PROCESS'.
4. WE WOULD ALSO SUGGEST THAT ANY REFERENCES TO THE SO-CALLED 'THREE CHINAS' FORMULA BE DISCOURAGED AS FIRMLY AS POSSIBLE. SUCH REFERENCES ARE ONLY LIKELY TO ANTAGONISE THE PRC AND COMPLICATE THE PROCESS OF CONSULTATION ON OUR MEMBERSHIP OF APEC.
5. THERE WOULD BE NO OBJECTION TO DRAWING FURTHER ON THE FACTUAL INFORMATION IN PARA. 1 ABOVE IF NECESSARY.
WILSON
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