TNAG-2017-FCO40-2879-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Singapore-1990 — Page 18

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FM SINGAPORE

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 463

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My Faul : HMD

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OF 040845Z OCTOBER 90

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04/10 MDHIAN 2479

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Давроне

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AND TO IMMEDIATE BEIJING, UKMIS NEW YORK, HONG KONG AND TO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON, ASEAN POSTS

MY TELNO 459: SINGAPORE/CHINA RELATIONS

SUMMARY

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1. SINGAPORE ESTABLISHES DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH THE PRC.

DETAIL

4/1

2. WHEN FIRST SECRETARY (POLITICAL/COORDINATION) CALLED ON CHAN HENG WING (DIRECTOR, SOCIALISTS STATES/INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS, MFA) ON 4 OCTOBER, THE LATTER HANDED OVER THE TEXTS OF A BRIEF COMMUNIQUE SIGNED BY THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF SINGAPORE AND THE PRC IN NEW YORK ON 3 OCTOBER ANNOUNCING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS, AND AN MFA PRESS RELEASE STATING THAT THE SINGAPORE COMMERCIAL REPRESENTATIVE'S OFFICE IN BEIJING WAS NOW AN EMBASSY (TEXTS BY BAG TO SEAD AND FED). CHAN ADDED THAT THE CHINESE WOULD BE CHANGING THE NAME OF THEIR COMMERCIAL REPRESENTATIVE'S OFFICE HERE IN A FEW WEEKS TIME AND THAT AMBASSADORS WOULD BE EXCHANGED WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, NOT NECESSARILY SIMILTANEOUSLY.

3. ASKED ABOUT THE ADVANTAGES FOR SINGAPORE OF THE REESTABLISHMENT OF RELATIONS, CHAN SAID THAT THERE WOULD, IN PRACTICE, BE LITTLE CHANGE IN EXISTING BILATERAL TIES. THE REESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WAS A MATTER OF FORM RATHER THAN SUBSTANCE. NO TRADE AGREEMENTS OR JOINT COMMISSIONS WERE PLANNED NOR WOULD THERE BE ANY EFFORT ON SINGAPORE'S PART TO BROADEN THE BASIS OF BILATERAL RELATIONS. THERE WAS THEREFORE NO GREAT PRACTICAL ADVANTAGE FOR SINGAPORE IN ESTABLISHING DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BUT NOW THAT OTHER ASEAN COUNTRIES HAD DONE SO, THERE WAS NO REASON WHY SINGAPORE SHOULD NOT.

4. SINGAPORE'S RELATIONS WITH TAIWAN WOULD, CHAN SAID, ALSO CONTINUE ON PRESENT LINES. THE CHINESE UNDERSTOOD THAT SINGAPORE WAS NOT PREPARED TO RENOUNCE THE USE OF MILITARY TRAINING FACILITIES IN TAIWAN AND SINGAPORE HAD MADE NO CONCESSIONS ON THIS SCORE.

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