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CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELNO 1418
OF 27035OZ JULY 89
INFO PRIORTY HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
HKD 09111
TOP COPY
Q DIST ?
156463
MDLIAN 9070
INFO ROUTINE WASHINGTON, CANBERRA, OTTAWA, TOKYO, UKREP BRUSSELS
5
HONG KONG TELNO 2491.
CONFIDENCE BOOSTING MEASURES: INTERNATIONAL ASPECTS.
W
1. WE FULLY SUPPORT THE THINKING IN TUR NOT ONLY WILL THE
TYPE OF MEASURES SUGGESTED IN TUR PLAY A ROLE IN BOOSTING CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG BUT A HONG KONG THAT IS FULLY TIED INTO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IN A RANGE OF DIFFERENT WAYS, NOT ONLY BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL, WILL BE TOUGHER FOR THE CHINESE TO INTERFERE WITH AFTER 1997.
2 =
AS FOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS THAT MIGHT SET UP THEIR
BASE IN HONG KONG, ONE RATHER WAY-OUT IDEA IS THE PACIFIC FORUM BEING PROPOSED BY THE AUSTRALIANS. WE ARE AWARE THAT THE AUSTRALIANS HAVE DECIDED TO EXCLUDE HONG KONG, TAIWAN AND THE PRC FROM MEMBERSHIP BECAUSE OF THE POLITICAL COMPLEXITIES INVOLVED. HOWEVER, THIS COULD BE ARGUED TO MAKE HONG KONG A NEUTRAL VENUE FOR THE FORUM. HONG KONG IS ALSO ONE OF THE FEW PLACES IN THE REGION WHERE IT IS RELATIVELY EASY FOR BOTH P R C
AND TAIWAN CITIZENS TO VISIT SHOULD THE FORUM DECIDE AT SOME STAGE TO GRANT THEM SOME FORM OF OBSERVER STATUS. FROM HONG KONG'S POINT OF VIEW, THE PRESENCE OF THE FORUM'S SECRETARIAT IN HONG KONG WOULD HELP HKG TO MONITOR ITS DOINGS. CANBERRA MAY BE ABLE TO ADVISE WHETHER THIS IDEA IS A RUNNER.
3. WE AGREE WITH PARA 5 THAT IF HONG KONG IS GOING TO ACT AS A
HOST FOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS AND CONFERENCES IT WILL HAVE
TO REVISE ITS VISA POLICY ON SOVIET NATIONALS. ALTHOUGH THE CPG
WOULD REMAIN WARY ABOUT HONG KONG BECOMING A BASE FOR SOVIET INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES, THE RECENT NORMALISATION OF RELATIONS OUGHT TO MAKE THEM MORE RELAXED ABOUT A CHANGE OF POLICY FOR THE
SPECIFIC PURPOSES INTENDED CAND WOULD CERTAINLY HELP US DEFEND IT TO THEM).
4.
IN LOOKING AT COUNTRIES WHICH MAY GIVE SUPPORT TO HONG KONG,
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