TNAG-1313-FCO40-1688-Future-of-Hong-Kong-views-and-involvement-of-Australia--Cana-1984 — Page 241

From the Private Secretary

التعلم بسيط

BY MON

10 DOWNING STREET

+IKK0406.

ALLLIVED IN 2.

97

SPD

PS/ Go Young Sor. W Harding Dr Wika

SEAD

14 May 1984

2 MAY 1934

Mr. Ravell

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MBRIISMO Pres

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Call on the Prime Minister by the Australian Minister for

Foreign Affairs

He was

Mr. Hayden called on the Prime Minister at 1600 hours today for a conversation of some thirty minutes. accompanied by the Australian High Commissioner and Mr. Costello. Sir William Harding was also present.

Mr.

The Prime Minister welcomed Mr. Hayden and commented on the economic opportunities available to Australia. Hayden said that Australia had a strong resource base. The Prime Minister of Singapore, who had moved a lot of money to Australia, had said that he was not concerned about his investment because Australia was a country which would succeed. In Mr. Hayden's view, if Australia had a larger population, say some fifty million people, it would be forced to moralise less and work harder. The Prime Minister recalled that at CHOGM Mr. Hawke had made much the same speech as she had on economic questions. She had the impression that the States of the South East Asian area were coming together more under Australian leadership. Mr. Hayden agreed but said that the process was not without strain. The ASEAN concept had been most successful. Countries that had once confronted each other were now talking together. There was considerable superficial agreement on policy, for example, on Vietnam and Kampuchea. But beneath the surface there were still large differences, for example between Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. There were even differences of policy within Indonesia. Australia had to be very careful because there was some suspicion that it was playing on these divisions.

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