TNAG-0839-FCO40-1048-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1979 — Page 189

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CONFIDENTIAL

SKBY 2910002 JAN 79

FM LISBON 2908302 JAN 79

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

CONFIDENTIAL

12

HKCK ooo!!..

TELEGRAM NUMBER 33 OF 26 JANUARY

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG

PEKING

IN

MY TELEGRAM NO 21 AND HONG KONG TELEGRAM NO 1741

SINO-PORTUGUESE RELATIONS.

1 IT IS CLEAR THAT THERE HAS BEEN A HITCH IN THE NEGOTIATIONS

TAKING PLACE IN PARIS. THE FOREIGN MINISTRY HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY

CAGEY ABOUT THIS AND NEITHER WE NOR THE AMERICANS HAVE SUCCEEDED

IN GETTING ANYTHING USEFUL OUT OF THEM. I THINK THIS IS BECAUSE

THEY ARE EMBARRASSED, HAVING BEEN OVER-RULED BY THE PRIME MINISTER.

2. THE NEWSPAPER EXPRESSO REPORTED ON 20 JANUARY THAT THE DELAY

IN RE-ESTABLISHING RELATIONS WAS BECAUSE THE PRIME MINISTER, WHO IS A PROFESSOR OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, HAD CONCLUDED THAT THE

TERMS OF THE PROPOSED COMMUNIQUE WERE INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE

CONSTITUTION. ACCORDING TO EXPRESSO UNDER THE PROPOSED COMMUNIQUE

THE PORTUGUESE WOULD HAVE REQUIRED TO REAFFIRM MARIO SOARES'S 1975 DECLARATION ON BEHALF OF THE THEN GOVERNMENT, IE TO RECOGNISE THE PEKING GOVERNMENT AS THE ONLY LEGITIMATE CHINESE AUTHORITY, TO RECOGNISE TAIWAN AS PART OF CHINA, AND TO AGREE THAT THE STATUS OF MACAO MIGHT BE THE SUBJECT OF NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND PORTUGAL WHEN BOTH GOVERNMENTS THOUGHT THE TIME OPPORTUNE.

THE PRIME MINISTER 16 REPORTED TO HAVE TAKEN EXCEPTION TO THE LAST PROVISION ON THE GROUNDS THAT UNDER THE CONSTITUTION IT IS LAID DOWN THAT MACAO IS A TERRITORY UNDER PORTUGUESE ADMINISTRATION

AND THAT CONSEQUENTLY ITS FUTURE STATUS CAN ONLY BE AFFECTED IF

THE CONSTITUTION IS REVISED. THEREFORE PORTUGAL COULD NOT

UNDERTAKE ANY OBLIGATIONS TO NEGOTIATE EVENTUALLY WITH ANOTHER COUNTRY ABOUT ITS STATUS, AND WOULD DO BEST NOT TO CONFIRM THE 1975 DECLARATION.

3. IN VIEW OF THE ABSENCE OF ANY USEFUL INFORMATION FROM THE FOREIGN MINISTRY I RAISED THE MATTER WITH THE PRIME MINISTER WHEN

I SAW HIM ON 25 JANUARY. HE TOLD ME THAT PORTUGAL WAS INTERESTED IN ESTABLISHING RELATIONS WITH CHINA IN THE LIGHT OF HER GREAT

CONFIDENTIAL

/IMPORTANCE