TNAG-1967-FCO40-2799-Confidence-building-measures-for-Hong-Kong-1989 — Page 43

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10

161502

MDLIAN 9372

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FM CANBERRA

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 703

OF 280603Z JULY 89

091/1 нко

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, PEKING

TOP COPY

Q DIST ?

INFO ROUTINE WASHINGTON, OTTAWA, TOKYO, UKREP BRUSSELS

HONG KONG TELNO 2491: CONFIDENCE BOOSTING MEASURES: INTERNATIONAL

ASPECTS.

用

1. WE HAD BEEN GIVING SOME THOUGHT TO THE PROSPECT OF HONG KONG PLAYING HOST TO ANY PERMANENT SECRETARIAT THAT MIGHT ARISE OUT OF THE HAWKE INITIATIVE FOR AN ASIA/PACIFIC ECONOMIC FORUM CAPEF)

WHEN WE RECEIVED PEKING TELNO 1418.

2. WE ARE NOT SO SURE THAT THE IDEA IS NECESSARILY WAY OUT. ON PRESENT PLANS, ANY SECRETARIAT THAT MIGHT BE ESTABLISHED IS LIKELY TO BE VERY SMALL BUT ITS LOCATION IN HONG KONG WOULD BE SYMBOLIC. THERE ARE STRONG COMMUNICATIONS AND OTHER ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF HONG KONG. YOU WILL HAVE SEEN FROM OUR TELNO 695 THAT A FINAL DECISION ON THE INCLUSION OF HONG KONG IN THE CANBERRA MEETING HAS NOT YET BEEN MADE. INCLUSION IN APEF FROM THE OUTSET WOULD IN ITSELF CONTRIBUTE TO THE INTERNATIONALISATION OF HONG KONG AND IT SHOULD BE EASIER TO BID FOR ANY SECRETARIAT FROM WITHIN THE ORGANISATION RATHER THAN FROM WITHOUT. IT MIGHT ALSO BE IMPORTANT THAT HONG KONG WAS SEEN TO BE ITS OWN ADVOCATE, AS THERE COULD BE A DANGER OF OTHER COUNTRIES SUSPECTING THE UK OF TRYING TO MUSCLE

IN ON APEF THROUGH HONG KONG.

3. AS FOR THE MORE GENERAL QUESTION OF ENCOURAGING GOVERNMENTS TO EXPRESS THEIR INTEREST IN HONG KONG'S FUTURE, WE WOULD EXPECT THE AUSTRALIANS TO CONTINUE TO BE HELPFUL, BUT WE WOULD NEED TO OFFER THEM SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS RATHER THAN JUST MAKE A VAGUELY WORDED REQUEST TO BE HELPFUL.

4. HOWEVER, WE SHOULD ALSO REMEMBER THAT WHERE AUSTRALIAN COMMERCIAL INTERESTS ARE INVOLVED, WE CAN EXPECT THEM TO TAKE A HARD HEADED APPROACH FOR EXAMPLE ON AIR SERVICES.

DOUGAL

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