File No.
HKB 020/10
RECEIVED IN RE
CS
INDEX
Ra
All Australia.
OPAPR 1990
I enclose a
report on
Page
Mixo Mars 22344 Mr Morgen 214 Misz Major Mr Stone 114/2/4
my Australian visit, by Mr.
Barry Pearton, my "minder", which I have just received. It was
an extremely busy programme (even busier than my previous
American visits), with 33 engagements in seven working days.
It took my voice two whole days to recover!
2.
As Mr. Pearton concludes, the visit was timely and
well worthwhile. Australians reacted strongly to events in
Peking last summer, and as a result a certain amount of re-thinking has been set in train, particularly in government
and business circles. At the same time, my overall impression
is one of ignorance of the situation in Hong Kong, and
considerable naivete as regards the region. As an example,
one senior banker confided in me that his bank's strategy vis
à vis China was to use Hong Kong to penetrate the south -
though with considerable hesitation because of fear of being
"turned over" by the Cantonese; and to use Taiwan as a
spring-board into the greater part of the mainland.
3.
The current background
-
apart from the general
election to take place March 24
is that Australia now
clearly sees itself, after one or two earlier abortive
attempts, as part of Asia (the ethnic changes among the men
and women in the
visible). I had
Ambassador in
currently
street over the last ten years are very
lunch with Ross Garnaut, former Australian
Peking and Economic Adviser to the government -
Economics Professor at the Australian National
as well as a strong personal influence on PM Hawke: his theme in a recently published and much discussed report is the "opportunity" of Asia, and he remains bullish on
Hong Kong.
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