TNAG-1148-FCO40-1428-Effect-on-Hong-Kong-of-the-Portuguese-and-Spanish-accession--1982 — Page 38

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This needs some thought concerted with HKGD. My first reaction is that we certainly cannot allow Macao to be given better status than HK, particularly given what we suspect to be the position of sovereignty over Macao; that to do so would provoke an outery in HK which could not be satisfied without gravely prejudicing our discussions with the Chinese; and that there can be no

give in our position. But the shall need to think carefully how to explain this in overt talks with the Commission & Portugal. We may also, now quite soon, need to find out once & for all what is the sorty position of Macao, tho' asking the Portuguese might provoke questions about the EC question. M.8/vi

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