CONFIDENTIAL
SECRETARY OF STATE'S BILATERAL WITH CANADIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, MR ANDRÉ QUELETT IN MARGINS OF ROME CSCE MEETING: TUESDAY 30
NOVEMBER 1993
HONG KONG
Background
1. Canada has long-standing trade and investment ties with Hong Kong. Two way trade between Canada and Hong Kong is over £1 billion annually. Canada is Hong Kong's ninth largest market for domestic exports and tenth largest market for re-exports (from China). Hong Kong is Canada's fifth most important trading partner in Asia. There is also a large and growing Hong Kong Chinese population in Canada. During the past two years, approximately 30,000 Canadian immigrant visas were issued annually to Hong Kong residents. Canada therefore has a close interest in Hong Kong's economic success before and after 1997.
2.
The previous Canadian Administration strongly supported the Governor's proposals. When Mr Clark, former Minister for Constitutional Affairs, visited China last March he raised Hong Kong with Qian Qichen and Li Peng and stressed Canadian interest in the success of the "one country, two systems" concept.
bgnd.canada.NAT
JEB
CONFIDENTIAL