TNAG-1253-FCO40-1586-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 24

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00 PEKING

GRS 310

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FM F C O 111222Z JUL 83

TO IMMEDIATE PEK ING

TELEGRAM NUMBER 431 OF 11 JULY

HKK04012

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

12 JUL 1983

DESK OFFICE.

INDEX

PA

REGISTRY Merion Taken

ICMM/K

FOLLOWING TELEGRAM NOW REPEATED TO YOU AT REQUEST OF HKD WAS

RECEIVED FROM CANBERRA TELNO 344 OF 5 JULY.

BEGINS:

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FM CANBERRA 050730Z JUL 83

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 344 OF 5 JULY

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG (FOR ACTING GOVERNOR), BANGKOK

4042 1

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THE AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE IN HONG KONG

THE AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER TODAY, 5 JULY, REPORTS THAT AT A PRESS

CONFERENCE IN HONG KONG ON 4 JULY MR. HAYDEN SAID THAT HE HAD

'GAINED ASSURANCES' FROM THE ACTING GOVERNOR AND OTHERS IN HONG

KONG THAT THERE WOULD BE A SMOOTH TRANSITION OF SOVEREIGNTY AND

CONTROL. 1 HE ADDED THAT IN HIS TALKS WITH THE CHINESE FOREIGN

MINISTER A FEW WEEKS AGO IN CANBERRA HE HAD 'GAINED ASSURANCES

THAT CHINA WOULD RESPECT HONG KONG'S SPECIAL POSITION. WHAT THE

MINISTER SOUGHT TO IMPRINT ON MY MIND WAS THE CLEAR DETERMINATION

OF CHINA TO ENSURE THAT THERE WOULD BE A SMOOTH PROCESS.

HE STATED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO DOUBT THAT POST-1997 HONG KONG, UNDER WHATEVER ARRANGEMENTS, WOULD FUNCTION AS IT FUNCTIONS TODAY.

HE SAID THAT CHINA RECOGNISED THAT FOR HONG KONG TO BE SUCCESSFUL

IT WOULD HAVE TO OPERATE AS A FREE MARKET CAPITALIST SYSTEM.'

MR HAYDEN ADDED THAT WHEN HE VISITS CHINA SHORTLY (HE IS DUE TO

GO TO PEKING EARLY NEXT MONTH) HE WOULD SEEK FURTHER

ASSURANCES FROM CHINESE LEADERS THAT THERE WOULD BE A SMOOTH

TRANSITION IN THE HANDING BACK OF HONG KONG TO CHINESE SOVEREIGNTY.

2. THESE REMARKS GO CONSIDERABLY FURTHER THAN ANYTHING SAID TO US

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