TNAG-1876-FCO40-2667-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Japan-1989 — Page 55

CONFIDENTIAL

НКВ

020/13

17

147712

MDHIAN 3134

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 3687

OF 061133Z NOVEMBER 89

INFO IMMEDIATE TOKYO

TOP COPY a Q DIST ?

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, WASHINGTON, UKMIS GENEVA, CANBERRA

MY MEETING WITH JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER NAKAYAMA: 4 NOVEMBER

SUMMARY

-

NAKAYAMA EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC AUTONOMY AND ENCOURAGING CONTINUED INVESTMENT AND TRADE LINKS. SUPPORTIVE OF OUR

POSITION ON APEF. SAID JAPANESE WERE STUDYING ASA SEPARATION.

EXPRESSES HIGH REGARD FOR PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY. ON VBP EXPRESSES SYMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING OF OUR PROBLEM BUT

STOPS SHORT OF ENDORSING OUR POSITION ON MANDATORY REPATRIATION.

I THANK HIM FOR CONTINUING JAPANESE CULTURAL CO-OPERATION:

ALSO UNDERTAKE TO HELP WITH JAPANESE BUSINESS VISAS AND ASK THE

JAPANESE TO DO LIKEWISE WITH MULTIPLE ENTRY VISAS FOR HONG

KONG BUSINESSMEN. HELPFUL JOINT STATEMENT ISSUED AFTER OUR

MEETING (TEXT IN MIFT).

DETAIL

CONFIDENCE AND JAPANESE INVESTMENT

2.

NAKAYAMA SAID THIS WAS HIS FIRST VISIT TO HONG KONG FOR FOUR YEARS. HE REMAINED IMPRESSED BY THE VITALITY OF HONG KONG. BUT HE REALISED WE CURRENTLY HAD OUR PROBLEMS ABOUT 1997. I SAID THAT WE GREATLY APPRECIATED JAPANESE BUSINESS INVOLVEMENT IN HONG KONG. IN 1988 THERE HAD BEEN MORE JAPANESE INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN ASIA. NAKAYAMA SAID THAT HE WAS CONSCIOUS THAT HONG KONG WAS THE BEST CHANNEL THROUGH WHICH THE JAPANESE SHOULD INVEST IN CHINA. THIS WAS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT AFTER TIANANMEN. I AGREED. 70 PER CENT OF ALL FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN CHINA CAME THROUGH HONG KONG. WE HAD IMMENSE EXPERIENCE HERE OF DOING BUSINESS WITH CHINA.

3. NAKAYAMA SAID THE PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO JAPAN HAD AROUSED GREAT INTEREST ABOUT HONG KONG. MR MAJOR HAD ALSO EMPHASISED THE IMPORTANCE OF JAPANESE INTEREST IN HONG KONG TO HIM AT UNGA. I SAID THAT WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR CONTINUING JAPANESE INTEREST. IN HANDLING THE EFFECT OF THE PEKING INCIDENT ON HONG KONG WE MUST DO ALL THAT WE COULD TO HELP OURSELVES.

1

PAGE

CONFIDENTIAL