UNCLASSIFIED
RECE
насого
12 FEB 1991
UNCLASSIFIED
FM BTC HONG KONG
TO ROUTINE FCO
TELNO 57
OF 12014OZ FEBRUARY 91
INDEA
INFO ROUTINE PEKING, LISBON, HONG KONG
RECISTO
Motion Taken
(10)
033317
MDLIAN 7809
TOP COPY Q DIST?
p.a.
Maiao
7.
CORRECTED VERSION
FCO FOR HKD AND FED
MICHAEL COLVIN MP VISIT TO MACAO 8 FEBRUARY 1991
1.
GRAHAM TOOK MICHAEL COLVIN MP (AND VICE CHAIRMAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE) AND MRS COLVIN TO MACAO ON 8 FEBRUARY. NEITHER HAD BEEN BEFORE AND COLVIN WANTED TO DRAW SOME POLITICAL COMPARISONS WITH HONG KONG.
2. CALLS WERE MADE IN THE MORNING ON ANTONIO LECA CACTING DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC SERVICES) AND JOSE FONSECA (DIPLOMATIC ADVISER). FONSECA'S WIFE LOUISA (HEAD OF MACAO GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS) TOOK MRS COLVIN SEPARATELY TO THE NEW MARITIME MUSEUM AND THE A MA TEMPLE.
3.
IN THE AFTERNOON BRIGADIER KENT (RACING DIRECTOR) GAVE A TOUR
OF THE MACAO JOCKEY CLUB. THE COLVINS ALSO SAW THE OLD VILLAGE OF TAIPA, THE TAIPA HOUSE MUSEUM AND MANY OF THE NEW PROJECTS OR PROJECT SITES (AIRPORT, PORT, INDUSTRIAL PARK, SECOND BRIDGE AND PRAYA GRANDE RECLAMATION) BEFORE RETURNING TO HONG KONG.
4 DURING THE MEETINGS A FEW INTERESTING POINTS EMERGED ON THE AIRPORT SITUATION (REPORTED SEPARATELY IN OUR TELELETTER (11 FEBRUARY)). LECA STRESSED MACAO'S DEPENDENCE ON HONG KONG AND NEED TO GROW MORE INDEPENDENT BY HAVING THE AIRPORT AS A FOCUS FOR EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION. COLVIN SUGGESTED AEROSPACE PRODUCTS (HIGH VALUE, USUALLY MOVED BY AIRFREIGHT). LECA ADMITTED TEXTILES (74 PER CENT OF EXPORTS) WERE BEING, AND WOULD BE FURTHER, HIT BY STRICTER CONTROL ON COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELS BY THE USA. HE POINTED TO MACAO'S STRONG FISCAL POSITION. THE CHINESE HAD NEVER SUGGESTED MACAO WOULD BE LEFT FINANCIALLY WEAKENED BY ANY OF THE PROPOSED PROJECTS. HE INTIMATED MACAO, HONG KONG AND TAIWAN SHOULD LINK TOGETHER MORE, A POINT ALSO ALLUDED TO BY FONSECA.
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UNCLASSIFIED