TNAG-1745-FCO40-2464-Visits-by-FCO-officials-to-Hong-Kong--including-visit-by-Lor-1988 — Page 54

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CONFIDENTIAL

HKCB 027/1

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

170342

MDHIAN 4684

CONFIDENTIAL-

FM PEKING

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1133

** OF 240115Z JUNE 88

:

24 JUN 1988

Our 2017

INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON, MOSCOW, HONG KONG, BANGKOK, HANOI, JAKARTA TOKYO, UNDEL NATO

no.

ря.

LORD GLENARTHUR'S VISIT TO CHINA: CALL ON FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN QICHEN, 23 JUNE

27/0

1. LORD GLENARTHUR OPENED HIS 50-MINUTE CALL BY CONVEYING YOUR APPRECIATION AND GOOD WISHES FOLLOWING YOUR BILATERAL WITH QIAN IN NEW YORK ON 8 JUNE. HE OUTLINED THE GROUND COVERED IN HIS MORNING'S DISCUSSIONS WITH VICE MINISTER ZHOU NAN. FOLLOWING IS SUMMARY OF MAIN POINTS MADE BY QIAN IN RESPONSE.

HONG KONG ISSUES

2. CHINESE AND BRITISH VIEWS WERE CLOSE AND THERE WERE NO MAJOR PROBLEMS OUTSTANDING. PRESERVING THE COOPERATIVE SPIRIT WAS THE BEST GUARANTEE OF HONG KONG'S STABILITY. STABILITY AS WELL AS PROSPERITY HAD A BEARING ON CONFIDENCE, BUT SO LONG AS HONG KONG OFFERED A STEADY PROFIT-MAKING ENVIRONMENT PEOPLE WOULD CHOOSE TO STAY OR TO COME BACK FROM ABROAD, WHILE KEEPING THEIR OUTSIDE LINKS FOR SECURITY.

3. THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES UNDERSTOOD OUR CONCERN ABOUT VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE COAST-HOPPING TO HONG KONG AND WOULD LOOK INTO THIS. CHINA HAD NO WISH TO ENCOURGE THESE PEOPLE BUT CONTROL WAS TRICKY SINCE THE CHINESE COAST WAS LONG, THE BOATS SMALL AND THEY MOVED FAST.

CAMBODIA

THE SOVIET WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN HAD REMOVED ANY EXCUSE FOR VIETNAM NOT TO WITHDRAW QUICKLY AND COMPLETELY FROM CAMBODIA THE EFFECT OF THE ANNOUNCED 50,000 VIETNAMESE TROOPS CUTS REMAINED TO BE SEEN: NO PROOF HAD EVER BEEN SEEN OF THE PREVIOUS SIX ALLEGED REDUCTIONS. IT WAS ''LUDICROUS'' FOR VIETNAM TO CLAIM CREDIT FOR PLACING ITS TROOPS UNDER PHNOM PENH'S COMMAND: THIS STEP HAD BEEN TAKEN SOME TIME BEFORE AND HAD BROUGHT A SOLUTION NO CLOSER.

5.

WHILE IN PEKING SIHANOUK HAD SAID HE WAS UNSURE IF ANYTHING CONCRETE WOULD COME OUT OF THE JAKARTA INTERNATIONAL MEETING (JIM) DESPITE ALL PARTIES' ATTENDANCE. THE INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

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