CONFIDENTIAL
HKB 020/10
032516 MDLIAN 8570
26 JUN1990
COMIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 1861
OF 131119Z JUNE 90
INFO PRIORITY CANBERRA
INFO ROUTINE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
CALL BY SENATOR EVANS ON 13 JUNE
SUMMARY
1. AUSTRALIANS KEEN TO DEVELOP BROADER RELATIONSHIP. WELCOME MY POSSIBLE VISIT NEXT YEAR. KEEN TO HELP ON APEC. I THANK SENATOR EVANS FOR SUPPORT ON THIS AND ON VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE. NEED FOR A SEPARATE AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT TOUCHED ON.
DETAIL
2. THE AUSTRALIAN MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, SENATOR
EVANS, CALLED ON ME ON 13 JUNE FOLLOWING A REGIONAL TOUR INCLUDING KOREA AND JAPAN. WE HAD A GENERAL EXCHANGE ON THE HONG KONG/AUSTRALIAN RELATIONSHIP AND AGREED THAT IT WOULD BE TO BOTH SIDES' ADVANTAGE TO TRY TO BUILD THIS UP. I EXPLAINED THAT I HOPED TO VISIT AUSTRALIA NEXT APRIL/MAY AND HE WELCOMED THIS. WE AGREED THAT ONE AREA FOR GREATER CO-OPERATION MIGHT BE EXPANDING CIVIL SERVICE TRAINING EXCHANGES AND SECONDMENTS.
APEC
3. SENATOR EVANS SAID THAT THE AUSTRALIANS WERE WILLING TO HELP US GAIN ENTRY TO APEC. THEY RECOGNISED THAT IT MADE NO SENSE FOR A MAJOR ECONOMY LIKE HONG KONG TO BE OUTSIDE THE ORGANISATION. THE AUSTRALIANS SAW SOME SLIGHT SIGNS OF A GREATER CHINESE WILLINGNESS TO FIND A WAY ROUND THE PROBLEM OF HONG KONG MEMBERSHIP. I SAID THAT WE HAD NOT PICKED THIS UP BUT, IF SO, IT WAS ENCOURAGING. INCLUSION IN APEC WAS IMPORTANT TO US BOTH AS A MAJOR ECONOMY IN THE REGION AND AS A CONFIRMATION OF OUR AUTONOMY IN TRADE AND ECONOMIC MATTERS ENSHRINED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION. EVANS ADDED THAT THE AUSTRALIANS WERE ALSO KEEN TO SEE US AS FULL MEMBERS OF PECC, ALTHOUGH THEY FELT THIS BODY WAS UNLIKELY TO PROVE AS SIGNIFICANT IN THE LONGER TERM AS WOULD APEC.
VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
4. I THANKED SENATOR EVANS FOR THE ROBUST SUPPORT THE AUSTRALIANS HAD GIVEN US ON THE SEARCH FOR A PROPER SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF
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