FLAGE
GPS...
.1438
UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG 063630Z JUL 33
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 961 OF 6 JULY 1983
INFO IMMEDIATE CANBERRA AND PRIORITY PEKING
MIPT: AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE
FOLLOWING ARE RELEVANT EXTRACTS:-
QUOTE TODAY I SPOKE TO SOME PEOPLE INCLUDING THE ACTING GOVERNOR ABOUT HONG KONG 1997, WHAT MIGHT BE HAPPENING AND WHERE HONG KONG MIGHT GO. BEFORE ! GO ON WITH THAT I THINK I OUGHT TO PUT A JUSTIFICATION IN PLACE ABOUT OUR INTEREST IN THIS MATTER....
! HAVE BEEN EMPHASISING THAT WE ARE PART OF THIS REGION AND THAT
WE THEREFORE HAVE AN INTEREST IN WHAT UNFOLDS IN THE REGION. WHERE ·
EVENTS THAT DEVELOP OR MAY DEVELOP IN THE REGION COULD HAVE
PROFOUND CONSEQUENCES FOR AUSTRALIA, WE WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE NOT
TO TAKE AN ACTIVE INTEREST IN THOSE MATTERS AND, WHERE IT IS
APPROPRIATE, WE WOULD BE VERY MUCH IRRESPONSIBLE IN NOT SEEKING TO
MAKE APPROPRIATE CONTRIBUTIONS....SO I AM NOW IN HONG KONG AND MY
CONCERN HERE IS WHAT DOES 1997 MEAN WHEN THE ARRANGEMENTS, THE
TREATY ARRANGEMENTS IN RESPECT OF HONG KONG, KOWLOON AND THE NEW
TERRITORIES, EXPIRE. THERE ARE FIVE AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE HERE.
IT IS A VITAL SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CENTRE IN THE WORLD AND PARTICUL-
ARLY IN OUR REGION. IT IS ONE OF THE MAJOR FINANCIAL CENTRES OF THE
WORLD. IT IS, I SEEM TO RECALL, THE LARGEST, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL CENTRE IN THIS REGION. THE TRANSITION, ONE PRESUMES IT
WOULD TAKE PLACE IN SOME FORM, FROM BRITAIN TO MAINLAND CHINA WILL
BRING A NUMBER OF CONSEQUENCES IN ITS WAKE. DEPENDING ON HOW THAT
TRANSITION IS ADDRESSED, HOW IT TAKES PLACE AND HOW IT FUNCTIONS
AFTER 1997, THEN THERE WOULD BE A NUMBER OF CONSEQUENCES FOR THE
REGION AND PARTICULARLY FOR US AS PART OF THE REGION. IF IT WERE
TO BE BADLY HANDLED THEN AUSTRALIA WOULD HAVE A JUSTIFIABLE CONCERN
ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT. IF IT IS SENSIBLY AND SUCCESSFULLY
HANDLED THEN THERE WILL BE SUSTAINED STABILITY WITHIN THE AREA. MY
PURPOSE IS TO TRY TO FIND OUT HOW PEOPLE FEEL IN HONG KONG ABOUT
THE PROSPECTS FOR THIS PROCESS, ANTE, AT THE POINT OF, AND POST.
THE IMPRESSION I GET IS THAT THERE IS A GENERAL FEELING THAT THE
PROCESSES WILL BE MANAGED SUCCESSFULLY. (OPEN SQUARE BRACKETS)
DON'T (CLOSE SQUARE BRACKETS WANT TO INTERPOLATE HERE THAT MY
CONSULTATIONS ON THIS MATTER ARE NOT NOVEL. WHEN MR WU, THE FOREIGN
MINISTER FOR CHINA, WAS IN AUSTRALIA ABOUT SIX OR SEVEN WEEKS AGO
I HAD SEVERAL EXTENDED DISCUSSIONS WITH HIM ON THIS SUBJECT. WHAT
HE SOUGHT TO IMPRINT ON MY MIND WAS THE CLEAR DETERMINATION OF
CHINA TO ENSURE THAT THERE WOULD BE A SMOOTH PROCESS. HE STATED
WHATEVER THE ARRANGEMENTS WOULD BE, WOULD FUNCTION THEN AS IT HAD
FUNCTIONED UP UNTIL THAT POINT, AS IT FUNCTIONS TODAY. HE SAID
/THAT
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