HKCO.20/1
RESTRICTED
стъ
100451
MDHIAN 5321
RESTRICTED
FM LISBON
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 107
OF 251735Z FEBRUARY 1991
Macao.
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ра
fr 20/2
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, BTC HONG KONG
VISIT OF CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER TO PORTUGAL, 22-25 FEBRUARY: MACAU ASPECTS
SUMMARY
1.
PORTUGUESE DESCRIBE DISCUSSIONS WITH QIAN QICHEN AS CONSTRUCTIVE AND CHARACTERISED BY GOOD ATMOSPHERICS. PINHEIRO SECURES COMMITMENT THAT PORTUGUESE WILL BE AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE AFTER 1999. CHINESE REITERATE POLITICAL COMMITMENT TO MACAU AIRPORT PROJECT, BUT ALSO
CONTINUING CONCERN ABOUT LOCALISATION OF CIVIL SERVICE AND
TRANSLATION AND LOCALISATION OF MACAU LAWS.
DETAIL
2. THE PORTUGUESE HAVE PROMISED A COMMUNITY BRIEFING LATER THIS
WEEK ON QIAN QICHEN'S FOUR-DAY OFFICIAL VISIT. IN THE MEANTIME HEAD
OF POLITICAL SECTION HAS TALKED TO CATARINO ABOUT MACAU ASPECTS.
·
3 CATARINO SAID THAT THE DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN PINHEIRO AND QIAN
QICHEN HAD TAKEN PLACE IN A GOOD ATMOSPHERE. THE DAY BEFORE THE
VISIT THE PORTUGUESE AND CHINESE HAD SIGNED AN AGREEMENT PROVIDING
FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CHINESE VISA OFFICE IN MACAU (ALONG THE
LINES OF THAT WHICH ALREADY EXISTS IN HONG KONG). THE TWO SIDES HAD ALSO COMMITTED THEMSELVES TO THE ESTABLISHMENT IN MACAU OF A SOFTWARE INSTITUTE FOR THE UN UNIVERSITY, WHICH THE PORTUGUESE TOOK AS FURTHER EVIDENCE OF CHINESE CONFIDENCE IN MACAU'S FUTURE.
4. DURING THE VISIT THE TWO MINISTERS HAD REVIEWED JLG ACTIVITIES INCLUDING MACAU'S ACCESSION TO GATT, AND CONCLUDED THAT WHILE THE PROCESS WAS WORKING WELL IT WAS IMPORTANT TO AVOID CONFLICT BETWEEN
THE TWO COUNTRIES.
5. THE PORTUGUESE HAD RAISED THE PROBLEM OF USE OF PORTUGUESE AFTER
1999. THEY HAD AGREED TO ANNOUNCE LATER THIS YEAR THAT CHINESE WOULD
HAVE THE SAME STATUS AS PORTUGUESE DURING THE YEARS LEADING UP TO 199, WHILE THE CHINESE HAD AGREED TO INTRODUCE INTO THE BASIC LAW A
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