ME 3ADO
BACKGROUND
CONFIDENTIAL
5.
the
During President Eanes' visit to China in May,
Portuguese and
and Chinese Governments announced that they would begin negotiations on the question of Macau in the near future. The start of negotiations is now likely to
be early next year, after the Portuguese Presidential
elections.
6.
The outcome of the
negotiations could have
implications for Hong Kong. It will be important that
the terms of any
agreement should not be substantially
better ог
The worse than those of the Joint Declaration.
Chinese have indicated to us their concern that the
Portuguese do not understand the sensitivity of the subject. A particular problem lies in the lack of a strong local administration
administration in Macau. We are keeping in
close touch with the Portuguese.
7.
Shortly before the conclusion of Portugal's EC
accession negotiations, Hong Kong asked us to try to
prevent
residents of Macau from enjoying
better rights of
rights of entry to the EC than Hong Kong BDTCs.
We
who Portuguese
Portuguese
this with
the
Macau
made a
that
pursued declaration to the EC explaining their policy on issuing
Portuguese
to passports
said residents, but their nationality law did not allow them to distinguish
between Portuguese nationals from Macau and other Portuguese nationals. We believe that there are about 80,000 Macanese entitled to Portuguese passports. After the Portuguese
a
7
year transitional
period and unless
Government adopt restrictive measures in the interim, Portuguese from Macau will therefore enjoy full EC access rights, unlike Hong Kong BDTCs.
8.
Our approaches to the Portuguese received
unfavourable publicity in a
Eastern Economic Review
and
September is sue of the Far
the HKG, fearing that Our
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