TNAG-1252-FCO40-1585-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 99

GR 400

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL HIKK040/5

FM HONG KONG 220445Z MAR 83

TO ROUTINE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 384 OF 22 MARCH

INFO ROUTINE PEKING, CANBERRA

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: AUSTRALIAN VIEWS.

22 MAR 1983

1. AUSTRALIAN COMMISSION HERE HAVE PASSED US IN CONFIDENCE A COPY OF A SPEECH GIVEN RECENTLY TO THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE OF THE CHINESE PEOPLE'S POLITICAL CONSULTATIVE CONFERENCE BY THE AUSTRALIAN BUSINESSMAN MR RANALD MACDONALD (CHAIRMAN OF THE DIRECTORS OF DAVID SYME ETC.). THE SPEECH CONCLUDES WITH A LONG SECTION ABOUT HONG KONG. FULL TEXT HAS BEEN SENT TO ALL UNDER COVER OF MCLAREN'S LETTER OF 21 MARCH TO CLIFT (HKGD).

MAIN POINTS ARE:

1

(A) THERE ARE 7,800 AUSTRALIANS IN HONG KONG WHO ARE THERE FOR PRECISELY THE SAME PURPOSES AS CHINA WISHES TO ATTRACT FOREIGNERS TO CHINA: INVESTMENT, TRADE, BANKING, TOURISM AND BUSINESS

GENERALLY''.

(B) AUSTRALIAN INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG AMOUNTS TO THE EQUIVALENT OF ALMOST 200 MILLION RMB.

t !

(C) CHINA OUGHT TO BROADEN THE SPECTRUM OF ITS NON-GOVERNMENTAL CONSULTATIONS ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG. AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS WITH INTERESTS IN HONG KONG HAS A RIGHT TO VOICE AN OPINION AND MAY WELL HAVE SOMETHING USEFUL TO CONTRIBUTE. IF GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY IT COULD OFFER OPINIONS WHICH ARE POLITICALLY DISINTERESTED BUT WHICH REFLECT THE THINKING OF THE FOREIGN INVESTORS AND FOREIGN BUSINESS INTERESTS WHOSE PRESENCE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE VITAL FACTORS IN HONG KONG ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE''. (D) MACDONALD STRESSED THAT HE WAS NOT SPEAKING FOR THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT: ''BUT, AS I HAVE MENTIONED THE GOVERNMENT, I SHOULD POINT OUT THAT IT HAS NOT ATTEMPTED IN ANY WAY TO INTERFERE IN THIS MATTER. THIS IS FURTHER EVIDENCE OF THE APPROPRIATENESS OF AUSTRALIA AS A SOURCE OF OPINION'

(94)

See (98

See (125)

2. WE HAVE ALSO BEEN GIVEN A COPY OF THE SPEECH BY MACDONALD'S HONG KONG BUSINESS PARTNER DEACON CHIU, WHO WAS IN PEKING AT THE SAME TIME (PIERCE'S TELELETTER OF 16 MARCH (NOT TO CANBERRA}< REFERS). ACCORDING TO CHIU, WHO WAS PRESENT, MACDONALD SPOKE HWK040

IN SIMILAR TERMS BUT MUCH MORE BRIEFLY AT HIS MEETING WITH ZHAO ZIYANG ON 14 MARCH WHICH WAS ALSO ATTENDED BY THE AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR. ZHAO APPARENTLY RESPONDED WITH ''THAT IS AN OLD QUESTION AND CHANGED THE SUBJECT.

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