10-DEC-1993 11:02
BRITISH TRADE COMMISSION
CODE 18-77
RESTRICTED
Reference
P.08
TC
CC: Mr Wood
Mr Smith
HAD FLO
Charry, Listen
MACAU
1. I had useful discussions in Macau yesterday with Philip Holberton (Hongkong Bank and our Honorary Consul in waiting), George Russell (Managing Director of CTM), Harald Brüning (Macau representative of UPI, a stringer for the Hong Kong Standard and the only European journalist resident in Macau), Father Lancelot and Father Alex Smith.
2. Honorary Consul-General. Holberton gave specimen signatures as requested and these have been passed to Mr Wood. He is, I think, rather looking forward to becoming the Honorary Consul. I said that we would both need to feel our
But, as a way forward on what his precise duties might be. starting point; he should not assume that we were aware of developments in Macau, and he should not hesitate to pick up If he the phone to tell us if noteworthy events took place. was doing any general work on Macau for the Hongkong Bank and felt able to give us a copy, we would welcome this but that
It would be enormously decisium was very much up to him.
if
helpful if he was prepared to see visiting British businessmen. If there was any kind of emergency in Macau, we would of course be ready to offer him advice and,
He seemed happy necessary, physical assistance on the ground. with all of this and I hope that his formal accreditation can now proceed without delay.
3.
Macau general. My interlocutors pointed a picture as follows:
a) Transition. Since 1974, the formal status of Macau has been a territory under Portuguese administration. At least since then there have been no sovereignty..questions. Brüning thought that the main Portuguese priority was to get rid of Macau decently. They were much influenced her the way that matters had got of hand in East Timor, Mozambique and Angola. The Portuguese had decided ages ago that the only sensible way of proceeding on Macau was essentially not to challenge the Chinese. The Legco had had a pro-China majority
The for some years. There was no sign of that changing. situation in Macau depended on Chinese tolerance to a greater extent than in Hong Kong. For example, Macau had no airspace
There was and there was no broader agreement with China.
·Mainland Chinese investment in Macau to the extent of US$5 billion and on the trade front, Portugal had very little clout, Portugal's share in foreign trade was only about 1%. Even project such as the new bridge, which had been won by Portuguese company, had been largely sub-contracted to Mainland Chinese.
org and me.
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