TNAG-1039-FCO40-1289-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1981 — Page 80

Malangka da tran

GR 325

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING 150830Z JUL 81

TO PRIORITY FCO

CONFIDENTAL

TELNO 509 OF 15 JULY 1981.,

04011

RECEIVED ST

040/1

RPTD INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG (PERSONAL FOR ACTUET981

SAVING TO CANBERRA.

SI

8.0.

ACTRY

ction Taken

MY TELNO 502: FUTURE OF HONG KONG.

INDEX

PA

10

1. WE HAVE NOW SEEN THE MINUTES OF LI XIANNI AN'S

MEETING WITH AUSTRLIAN PARLIAMENTAR I ANS.

के

2. ONE OF THE DELEGATION HAD ASKED WHAT ROLE TAIWAN

AND HONG KONG PLAYED IN CHINA'S ECONOMY AND WHAT CHANGES WOULD

BE BROUGHT ABOUT IF CHINA TOOK OVER CONTROL OF TAIWAN AND HONG

KONG. LI HAD SAID THAT, ON HONG KONG, CHINA DID NOT YET HAVE

MUCH IN MIND. THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE NEGOTIATIONS”. THIS

WAS NECESSARY, LI SAID, BECAUSE THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT

IN HONG KONG NOT JUST FROM HONG KONG BUSINESSMEN THEMSELVES BUT

ALSO FROM OTHER FOREIGN INVESTORS. IN ANY CASE CHINA WOULD ENSURE

THAT SUCH INVESTMENTS WOULD BE FULLY PROTECTED.

3. THE AUSTRALIANS ARE CERTAIN THAT THE WORD USED WAS **NEGOTIA- TIONS'', BUT LI DID NOT SPECIFY WITH WHOM. THEY THINK IT WAS PERHAPS A DELIBERATELY OPEN-MINDED STATEMENT. THE POINT ABOUT

''OTHER FOREIGN INVESTORS' WAS OF COURSE IMPORTANT TO THE AUST-

RALIANS THEMSELVES.

4. LI'S STATEMENT IS LESS DRAMATIC THAN HAD BEEN SUGGESTED

ORALLY BY THE AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR. BUT IN SPITE OF LI'S

REMARK THAT CHINA DID NOT YET HAVE MUCH IN MIND, HIS USE OF

THE WORD NEGOTIATIONS MAY SHOW A SMALL MOVE FORWARD IN CHINESE

THINKING.

5.

FULL AUSTRALIAN RECORD FOLLOWS BY BAG.

6.

FCO

PLEASE PASS SFOING CANBERRA.

ATKINSON

LIMITED

HKGD (4)

FED

SAD

TRED

INFORMAMON D

NEWS D

SIRE YOUDE

MRDONALD

REPEATED AS

REQUESTED

поч

лубчиво

27.7.

CONFIDENTAL

THIS TELEGRAM WAS NOT

ADVANCED

(70