TNAG-1459-FCO40-1983-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Macau-1986 — Page 10

GRS 540

CONFIDENTIAL

FM LISBON

TO PRIORITY FOO

TELNO 364

CONFIDENTIAL

OF 2716C9Z NOVEMBER 86

70

HKK

020/3

RECEIVELINES

16 DEC 1986

REGISTRY

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

Action Taken

OPY Ar ?

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, PEKING

MY TELNO 357 : MACAU

1. BOTH THE PRESIDENT'S ADVISER, GASPAR, AND THE HEAD OF THE ASIAN DEPARTMENT MFA, VALENTE, HAVE TOLD US THAT ZHOU NAN'S VISIT HAS GONE WELL. THEY SAID THERE WAS NO BASIS TO THE PRESS STORIES OF PROBLEMS

(REPORTED IN MY TUR), THOUGH OF COURSE MANY QUESTIONS WERE UNRESOLVED.

2. ON THE DATE OF TRANSFER OF ADMINISTRATION, BOTH CONFIRMED THAT THE CHINESE WERE STRESSING REUNIFICATION OF CHINA BY 2000 AND WERE IMPOSING A DEADLINE ACCORDINGLY. GASPAR WOULD NOT CONFIRM THE

SUGGESTION OF A 12 OR 13 YEAR DELAY BEING THE PORTUGUESE POSITION

(THE PRESS IS NOW MENTIONING 2004 AND 2007), BUT HE REPEATED THAT

THE CHINESE POSITION WAS UNREALISTIC. IF THE PORTUGUESE WERE TO

ORGANISE AN ORDERLY CHANGE-OVER, THEY WOULD NEED MORE TIME THAN THE

CHINESE DEMAND ALLOWED. IN THIS CONNEXION THE GOVERNOR OF MACAU,

PINTO MACHADO, WHO WAS HERE FOR ZHOU'S VISIT, HAS BEEN TALKING TO

THE PRESS OF THE NEED TO TRAIN MACANESE RESIDENTS IN ADMINISTRATION

AND TO LAUNCH A LANGUAGE-TEACHING PROGRAMME TO GUARANTEE MACAU'S

LONG-TERM IDENTITY.

SAID

3. GASPAR, WHO CONFIRMED THAT HE WAS ONE OF THE DRAFTING GROUP,

THEY WERE RETURNING TO PEKING FOR THE NEXT ROUND IN EARLY DECEMBER.

HE SAID THAT THE CHINESE WERE PUTTING ON THE PRESSURE TO REACH AN

AGREEMENT BY EARLY FEBRUARY TO ALLOW FOR RATIFICATION AT AN NPC

SESSION (WHICH HE THOUGHT WAS TO HAPPEN IN FEBRUARY). ZHOU TOLD REPORTERS THAT A FAST AND SATISFACTORY SOLUTION WAS IN THE INTERESTS OF BOTH COUNTRIES. GASPAR SAID THAT THE PORTUGUESE REGARDED THIS PRESSURE AS AN OBVIOUS TACTICAL DEVICE AND THEY WOULD NOT BE SWAYED BY IT. VALENTE (WHO IS NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED) REGARDED FEBRUARY AS

IMPOSSIBLY EARLY.

4. GASPAR SAID THAT THE CHINESE WERE TRYING TO INSIST THAT A CLEAR

DISTINCTION BE MADE BETWEEN PORTUGUESE AND CHINESE NATIONALITY. THEY

HAD INITIALLY OFFERED THE WORDING IN THE SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENT AS A

CONCESSION, BUT THE PORTUGUESE HAD POINTED OUT THAT IT DID NOT FIT

THEIR CASE. THEIR OBJECTIVE WAS AN AGREEMENT WHICH WOULD ALLOW THOSE

UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO ACQUIRE PORTUGUESE NATIONALITY FREEDOM OF

TRAVEL. IN ESSENCE THIS RIGHT WAS WHAT WE HAD SECURED FOR HONG KONG.

THE PORTUGUESE HAD INVESTIGATED THE OVERSEAS LINKS OF MACANESE AND

WERE CONFIDENT THAT THERE WOULD BE NO MASS EXODUS TO EUROPE. THOSE CONCERNED HAD LINKS TO OTHER ASIAN COUNTRIES, THE US, CANADA AND AUSTRALIA. (THIS CONFLICTS WITH THE CHINESE VIEW IN PEKING TELNO 2242.)

CONFIDENTIAL

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