TNAG-1252-FCO40-1585-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 108

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22 MAR 1983

་་

R D Clift Esq

Hong Kong & General Dept

FCO

Dear Clift

Noted!

AF-30/3

CONFIDENTIAL

© Copy: Political Adviser

2

Jon Af 2213

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BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION

CANBERRA

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17 March 1983 el ħ Cantena

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FORTHCOMING VISIT TO AUSTRALIA OF PREMIER ZHAO ZIYANG

1.

25/3

13

The Head of the North Asian Branch of the DFA here, David Reese, which covers China, Korea, Japan and Hong Kong, gave me yesterday a copy of the enclosed telegram from the Australian Embassy in Peking reporting a discussion on 14 Marckee 98 between Premier Zhao Ziyang and Mr Ranald MacDonald who is the Managing Director of the Australian company David Sime

which owns the Melbourne newspaper "The Age" Reese was at See 125

pains to stress that MacDonald had presumably raised the question of Hong Kong because his company has business interests there

(I believe in the video field); there had been no suggestion See (144)

from the Australian Government that he might do so. However Reese thought that the ensuing conversation might be of some interest to us. You will notice that MacDonald referred to a speech he made at a meeting with the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CCPCC. At my request Reese is trying to obtain a copy

If he is successful I will of course

tik have / of the speech for us.

send it on to you.

obtaine

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are sadil 2.

it.

Have we

peen?

See Jorios 441046

I imagine the discussion with Premier Zhao probably adds little or nothing to what we already know about Chinese attitudes. I think Reese's purpose in giving me a copy of the Embassy's telegram (which you will notice is in any case unclassified) was partly to make it clear that the Australian Government was not involved in Mr MacDonald's visit to China and partly, in an indirect way, to register Australia's continuing interest in the future of Hong Kong especially in the run-up to Premier Zhao Ziyang's forthcoming visit to Australia (it has now been confirmed here that Zhao has accepted the invitation to visit Australia from 17 to 23 April which has been renewed by the incoming Labor Government of Mr Hawke). In this connection my letter of 6 January to Kit Burdess in SPD of which I now enclose a copy is relevant

3. As it happens Sir A Duff will be in Canberra for several days in the week preceding Zhao Ziyang's visit and David Reese, who was aware of his visit, indicated that he hoped it might be possible for Sir A Duff to give his Australian interlocutors

CONFIDENTIAL

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