11
RESTRICTED
FM LISBON
нисогор
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 114
RECLAY
RESTRICTED
Mr Sainty.
01 MAR 1991
17
106207
MDHIAN 5611
vuselend & interesting telegram
a a
number of fronts..
ķ
ласай
fu2712.
OF 27013OZ FEBRUARY 91
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, INFO PRIORITY BTC HONG KONG
MY TELNO 111: YOUR VISIT TO LISBON, 26 FEBRUARY : CHINA/MACAU
SUMMARY
1. PINHEIRO GIVES ACCOUNT OF QIAN QICHEN'S VISIT TO PORTUGAL, 22-25 FEBRUARY. SOME CHINESE RESPONSIVENESS ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOME MOVEMENT OVER JLG ISSUES (THOUGH AIRPORT REMAINS A PROBLEM).
DETAIL
2. PINHEIRO GAVE AN ACCOUNT OF QIAN QICHEN'S VISIT TO PORTUGAL FROM 22-25 FEBRUARY. PINHEIRO SAID THAT HE HAD RAISED HUMAN RIGHTS DURING A TETE-A-TETE WITH QIAN QICHEN. QIAN HAD SAID THAT THE CHINESE RECORD HAD IMPROVED, THOUGH HE REALISED THAT CHINA WAS NOT UP TO WESTERN STANDARDS. HE HAD SUGGESTED THAT THE MORE THE WEST PUSHED, THE WORSE THINGS WOULD BE. THE HARDLINERS HAD NOT LIVED ABROAD. QIAN HAD EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN DISCREET TALKS ABOUT HOW
CHINA MIGHT IMPROVE FURTHER.
3. PINHEIRO DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM OVER THE MACAU AIRPORT. THE CHINESE HAD REPEATEDLY DECLARED THEIR POLITICAL SUPPORT BUT THERE HAD BEEN THE CONTINUING PROBLEM OVER DELIVERY OF SAND AND CHINESE COMPLAINTS ABOUT NOISE POLLUTION. THE WEEK BEFORE QIAN QICHEN ARRIVED IN LISBON SAND DELIVERIES HAD MAGICALLY INCREASED IN VOLUME BY A FACTOR OF TEN. FROM HAVING TOO LITTLE SAND THE MACAU AUTHORITIES HAD BEEN FACED WITH TOO MUCH. PINHEIRO HAD TOLD QIAN QICHEN THAT IF CHINESE OBSTRUCTIVENESS MEANT THAT THEY DID NOT WANT THE MACAU AIRPORT TO BE BUILT, THEN THEY MIGHT AS WELL SAY SO CLEARLY. QIAN QICHEN HAD REAFFIRMED, ONCE AGAIN, CHINA'S POLITICAL SUPPORT FOR THE AIRPORT PROJECT BUT HAD SUGGESTED THAT THERE WERE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS THAT NEEDED TO BE DISCUSSED AT THE TECHNICAL LEVEL.
PINHEIRO HAD THE IMPRESSION THAT WHAT THE CHINESE WANTED WAS THE LAST WORD. HE ALSO SUGGESTED THAT THE CHINESE MIGHT BE USING MACAU AS AN EXAMPLE FOR HONG KONG: QIAN QICHEN HAD REPEATEDLY REFERRED TO PROBLEMS OVER THE HONG KONG AIRPORT.
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