TNAG-1253-FCO40-1586-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 96

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Mr Donard

Private Secretary

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SECRET

MICKOAG/S,

28 JU 1983

AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC COMMENTS ON HONG KONG

1.

FROM: R D CLIFT, DATE: 8 JULY 1983

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At a press conference in Hong Kong on 4 July the

Australian Foreign Minister made unhelpful remarks about the

future of Hong Kong despite a careful briefing by the Chief

Secretary (Hong Kong telnos 953, 954, 960, 961, Peking telno

636 and Canberra telno 344). Reports of Mr Hayden's remarks

began to arrive when we were on the point of consulting

Sir J Mason about Mr Malcolm Fraser's suggestion that we speak

to Sir G Yeend in order to try to influence Australian Ministers

on public comment about China and Hong Kong. Canberra telno

349 reports that Mr Hayden leaves Australia on 15 July and will

not return before his next visit to China at the beginning of

August. It is therefore important that we should issue

instructions to reach Sir J Mason on Monday 11 July. I

submit a self explanatory draft letter from the Private Secretary

to 10 Downing St and a draft telegram to Canberra.

See (206)

2. On Mr Holmes' minute of 6 July we have indeed been keeping

the Australians closely in the picture. As well as seeing

intelligence reports and assessments they have been often briefed

at a high level in Canberra, London, Hong Kong and Peking.

It

is against this background that Mr Hayden's remarks and the

prospects for his visit to China are particularly worrying. We

can give further consideration to the nature of the briefing we

give the Australians in the light of Sir J Mason's meeting with

Mr Hayden. My present feeling is that as a second phase of talks

gets under way we should keep up to date the briefing we have

already provided, but that we should be very wary of greater

frankness. We must however re-emphasise the delicacy of the

bilateral contacts between Britain and China and the dangers to morale

and confidence in Hong Kong of public speculation about the likely

result of the negotiation.

8 July 1983

бит

R D Clift

SECRET

Hong Kong Department