TNAG-1253-FCO40-1586-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 46

GRS 330

SECRET

FROM PEKING 0603352 JUL 83

TO ROUTINE FCO

M

SEORET

TELEGRA NUMBER 636 OF 6/7/83

TOP COPY

HKK04015

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51

- 8 JUL 1983

REGISTRY

Action Taken

DESK OFFICE.

INDEX

PA

M CH17/8

ROUTINE HONG KONG CANBERRA

INFO

191

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HONG KONG TEL NOS 953 AND 954: HAYDEN PRESS CONFERENCE

1. THE AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY HAS PASSED US THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE. IT WAS A MOST UNHELPFUL PERFORMANCE BY

HAYDEN, AND PARTICULARLY ANNOYING IN THAT HE SPOKE AS HE DID ABOUT ''TRANSITION ** DESPITE THE ACTING GOVERNOR'S CORRECTIVE BRIEFING ON THIS POINT. AS HONG KONG HAVE NOTED, HE HAS CREATED THE IMPRESSION THAT HE (AND, BY EXTENSION THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERN- MENT) REGARDS A TRANSITION TO CHINESE CONTROL AS A FOREGONE

CONCLUSION AND THAT CHINESE ASSURANCES ABOUT THE FUTURE ARE

SATISFACTORY. FURTHERMORE, SINCE HAYDEN'S REMARKS WERE MADE

SO SOON AFTER HE HAD DISCUSSED THE QUESTION WITH THE ACTING

GOVERNOR AND OTHERS IN HONG KONG, HIS VIEWS MAY SEEM TO BE

DASED ON KNOWLEDGE OF THE BRITISH POSITION, AND GIVE CREDENCE

TO THE STORY THAT BRITAIN HAS ALREADY GIVEN UP SOVEREIGNTY.

2. SEEN FROM HERE, HAYDEN WILL NOT HAVE HELPED CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG. HE MAY ALSO HAVE DONE US HARM WITH THE CHINESE, PARTICULARLY IF, IN HIS EXTENDED DISCUSSIONS WITH WU XUEQIAN (OF WHICH WE WERE NOT INFORMED WHEN THE AUSTRALIANS BRIEFED US ABOUT ZHAO'S VISIT), HE TOOK THE LINE HE SEEMS TO HAVE TAKEN, IE ACCEPTING CHINESE ASSURANCES AT THEIR FACE VALUE AND TAKING THEIR

PLAN '' AS THE BASIS FOR THE FUTURE.

SEORET

/ 3. SINCE HAYDEN

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