SECRET
Japanese knowledge of China and perhaps for giving them a little
more background on the Hong Kong negotiations.
5.
The US Embassy in Tokyo have told the British Embassy that in
his view the Japanese are well-informed about China and able to
follow developments there more easily than other foreigners. The
Americans had found that when the Chinese had difficulty in
understanding aspects of US constitutional practice, the Japanese could be used successfully to explain the position to the Chinese
Government.
6. Hong Kong have added their support to the idea of additional
briefing for the Japanese, arguing that the Chinese frequently press
their case with Tokyo, whereas we do very little.
7.
The experience of the Americans reinforces the argument for a
more modest initiative on our part which would give the Japanese an
incentive to pass on their information and their perceptions more
systematically. It would not however be our intention to use the Japanese as intermediaries at any rate during the present stage of negotiations. They have their own interests which do not
necessarily coincide with ours. On the other hand we can certainly
look forward to a time when we might wish to enlist the help of the
Japanese (and our other friends) to present an eventual arrangement
on Hong Kong in the most favourable light. We should want
assistance in giving investors, in the territory and outside,
confidence that major governments saw autonomy for Hong Kong as a practical proposition. We might also want the Japanese to indicate privately to the Chinese that they regarded it as essential that
there should be no intereference by Peking.
4 November 1983
Ship
R D Clift
Hong Kong Department
SECRET
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