TNAG-1870-FCO40-2658-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Macau.-With-map-1989 — Page 146

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MDLIAN 7004

BUT WOULD NOT ALLOW IT TO BECOME A BASE FOR SUBVERSION. THE CHINESE APPRECIATED MACAO'S ''VERY PRUDENT'' ATTITUDE IN THIS FIELD.

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THE GOVERNOR, IN REPLY, FOCUSSED ON THREE POINTS:

HE EXPLAINED PLANS FOR THE MACAO AIRPORT AND OTHER DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. PORTUGAL WAS COMMITTND HOPED CHINA WOULD COOPERATE, E.G. BY GRANTING OVERFLIGHT RIGHTS FOR THE NEW AIRPORT.

THE LOCALISATION OF MACAO'S ADMINISTRATION WOULD CONTINUE.

THE PROPOSAL FOR UNESCO TO SET UP A SOFTWARE CENTRE IN MACAO SHOULD BE DECIDED BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.

LI PENG MADE POINTS SIMILAR TO ZHOU NAN'S WITH SOME DIFFERENCES OF EMPHASIS. HE SAID CHINA MUCH APPRECIATED THE WAY PORTUGAL HAD BEHAVED AT A DIFFICULT MOMENT FOR CHINA'' (UNDERSTOOD BY THE PORTUGUESE EMBASSY TO BE A REFERENCE TO THE HOLDING OF THE SINO-PORTUGUESE JLG IN JULY AND PORTUGAL'S SILENCE ON THE MATTER IN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXTS). MACAO COULD BECOME A SHINING EXAMPLE OF PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE AND ''ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS'' DIFFICULTIES REVEALED BY THE FIRST YEAR OF TRANSITION COULD BE SOLVED BY COOPERATION AND COMPROMISE. THE NEW CHINESE LEADERSHIP HAD NOW STABILISED THE COUNTRY AND WOULD CONTINUE OPENING AND REFORM. LI PENG THEN REPEATED THE POINTS ABOUT HONG KONG: SOME PEOPLE WANTED TO USE HONG KONG TO OVERTHROW THE MAINLAND REGIME AND THIS COULD NOT BE ALLOWED. THE GOVERNOR RESPONDED ON THE SAME LINES AS WITH ZHOU NAN, ADDING THAT LISBON APPRECIATED THE IMPORTANCE OF MACAO IN SINO-PORTUGUESE RELATIONS.

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ACCORDING TO THE PORTUGUESE COUNSELLOR, MELANCIA DID NOT (NOT) MENTION THE MACAO BASIC LAW, AT LEAST NOT DURING THE FORMAL MEETINGS. THE CHINESE DID NOT, AS THEY HAD BEEN INCLINED TO DO IN THE PAST, RESERVE ANY SPECIAL PERSONAL WELCOME FOR MELANCIA BUT RATHER SPOKE IN TERMS DESIGNED FOR THE PORTUGUESE GOVERNMENT'S EARS AS A WHOLE. MELANCIA'S INSISTENCE ON COVERING THE GROUND ON THE AIRPORT WITH ALL HIS INTERLOCUTORS WAS PARTLY A RESPONSE TO PREVIOUS SIGNALS BY CHINESE DIPLOMATS THAT THEY WERE FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO REACH A COORDINATED VIEW ON THIS IN PEKING.

DETAILED JLG ISSUES WERE ALSO NOT (NOT) RAISED. THE NEXT SINO-PORTUGUESE JLG IS DUE TO BE HELD IN MACAO ON 4-6 DECEMBER, I.E. OVERLAPPING WITH OUR OWN.

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