TNAG-1255-FCO40-1588-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 76

CODE 18-77

if forester-Bennett fi Ms fest fi o.V SECRET

Mr Clift

Clift

?

See expecially pars 6x7.

Reterge

300

спойоры 2. E Bu I week Harpan 6

117/10

FUTURE OF HONG KONG : BRIEFING MEMBERS OF OTHER MISSIONS IN LONDON

1.

I should record that in the last few days I have given briefings on Hong Kong to representatives of the Canadian, Italian, Malaysian and Japanese missions in London. The Canadians, of course, are now kept more fully in the picture than hitherto, while the other three are only entitled to very general briefing.

Mr Peter Anderson, Counsellor, Canadian High Commission, 29 September

2. Mr Anderson, who also keeps in close touch with Mr Martin of the Assessments Staff, was generally very well-informed and asked all the right (ie difficult!) questions, eg about how special administrative status for Hong Kong under China might be guaranteed, how far we and China were prepared to let the Hong Kong dollar slide, how we felt we could get round China's insistence on the indivisibility of sovereignty and administration. I made it clear, in discussing these and other points, what our aim in the talks was and how we had made no concessions. We had our views on what was the best way of maintaining the Hong Kong people's prosperity and stability, and we and the Chinese were exploring each other's positions. Mr Anderson was glad to hear that the Prime Minister had been briefed to put Mr Trudeau in the picture. [This she has now done.]

Sr Giordano, Second Secretary, Italian Embassy, 3 October

3. Sr Giordano has called before to discuss Hong Kong, which was his last posting. He seems to be well-aware of the general background and discussed with me a number of misleading press reports, both British and Chinese. His questioning was not particularly probing.

Miss Lily Zachariah, Counsellor, Malaysian High Commission, 4 October

4. Miss Zachariah had previously seen Mr Hoare. She too seemed to have a good understanding of the present situation. Without going into detail I described our aim in the talks. We discussed at some length the general pattern of the talks, who took part, how often etc. She was particularly interested in the economic situation in Hong Kong, and I explained how the current problems there were caused not by economic difficulties but by political uncertainty. She expressed some anxiety that if the worst happened and many Hong Kong people left the territory, a good number of them would try to go to Malaysia. I discouraged her from this pessimistic outlook, although I am not sure that she was convinced.

вимо Ниш I/II

SECRET

MKK04015

RODOLVED IN NUCISTHY

JULT 1983