TNAG-1253-FCO40-1586-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 23

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TOPCOPY

SECRET

OO CANBERRA

OO PEKING

GRS 293

SECRET

FM FCO 111800Z AUGUST 83

TO IMMEDIATE CANBERRA

TELEGRAM NUMBER 260 OF 11 AUGUST.

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, PEKING

11098 1

MKK040/s

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

5 AUG 1983

DESK OFFICER

INTEX

242,

REGISTRY

Liction Taken

-YOUR TELNO 398: FUTURE OF HONG KONG: MR HAYDEN'S VISIT TO CHINA

1. WE AGREE THAT YOU SHOULD NOT CHIDE PARSONS DIRECTLY.

HOWEVER, IF HE GIVES YOU AN OPENING, WE THINK IT WOULD BE USEFUL

IF YOU SAID THAT WHILE WE UNDERSTAND WHY MR HAYDEN WANTED TO TAKE

A POSITIVE LINE WITH THE PRESS, IT IS EASY FOR THIS TYPE OF

APPROACH TO BE MISUNDERSTOOD IN HONG KONG. THE DIFFICULTY IS

THAT, IF A PROMINENT WESTERN FIGURE TALKS ABOUT HONG KONG WITH A

SENIOR CHINESE LEADER, IT WILL BE KNOWN THAT HE WILL HAVE

RECEIVED AN EXPOSITION OF 'THE CHINESE PLAN'. IF WITHOUT

QUALIFICATION HE THEN TELLS THE PRESS THAT WHAT HE HAS HEARD IS

USEFUL OR ENCOURAGING, PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WILL INTERPRET THIS

AS STRAIGHT ENDORSEMENT OF CHINESE IDEAS (A VARIETY OF WHICH

HAVE BEEN PEDDIED IN HONG KONG), AND BELIEVE THAT THEIR WORRIES

ABOUT THEIR OWN FUTURE HAVE BEEN DISREGARDED. CONFIDENCE SUFFERS

GREATLY.

2.

WE UNDERSTAND THE EXASPERATION IN PARA 4 OF PEKING TELNO 778

BUT WE DO NOT THINK IT WOULD BE PRACTICABLE OR SENSIBLE TO GIVE

UP BRIEFING THE AUSTRALIANS.

WHAT WE MUST DO IS TO CONCENTRATE

ON GETTING THE RIGHT MESSAGE OVER AND TRYING TO ENSURE THAT THIS

IS PUT SQUARELY TO HAYDEN IN CAREFUL BRIEFING, ALTHOUGH WE

REALISE ALL THE DIFFICULTIES IN CONTROLLING HIM. YOU CAN HELP

GREATLY HERE IN JUDGING THE PSYCHOLOGY.

3. PARSONS MAY ASK ABOUT THE LATEST ROUNDS OF TALKS IN PEKING.

IF SO, PLEASE SAY THAT YOU EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO BRIEF HIM BEFORE

LONG, BUT HAVE NOT YET GOT UP-TO-DATE MATERIAL. WE SHALL LET YOU

HAVE BRIEFING ON THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, IN A FORM WHICH COULD

ALSO BE USED WITH THE AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVES IN HONG KONG AND

PEKING.

RAISON

FUTURE OF HONG KONG

LIMITED

ED/EKO

HD/FED

HD/PLANNING STAFF

HD/PUSD

PS

PS/LADY YOUNG

PS/MR LUCE

PS/PUS

SIR J BULLARD

MR GIFFARD

MR DONALD

MR WRIGHT

SECRET

ра

SIR I SINCLAIR LEGAL ADVISER

COPIES TO:

MR BURROWS

MR MARTIN

MR FLOWER

MR COLES

LEGAL ADVISERS

ASSESSMENTS STAFF CABINET OFFICE

PUSD

NO 10 DOWNING ST

SIR A PARSONS

MR WALKER,

11

IT

RESEARCH DEPT

MR ROBERTS NEWS D

(GOGGS)

!CHM/8

See (243)

See (24

See (252)