TNAG-2180-FCO40-3117-Hong-Kong-nationality-international-support-1990 — Page 17

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Miss Marsden

HKD V

Moraden

Mr Morris

RM 30%y

CONFIDENTIAL

From: R JT McLaren

Date:

Cc:

27 April 1990

PS/Mr Maude Mr Beamish

Mr Burns, NAD

HICH 340!!

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

02 MAY 1990

DESK OFFICER INDEX

REGISTRY

PA

Action Taken

2377

A

B

HONG KONG : INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

1.

The Minister at the Canadian High Commission, Mr Boehm, and the Minister-Counsellor (Immigration), Mr Girard, called on me this morning at their request. Mr Boehm handed over a list of talking points he had been asked to put across, making it clear that the context was Mr Maude's remarks about international support during his recent visit to Hong Kong.

2.

I said that we were grateful for the various measures which the Canadians were taking to sustain confidence in Hong Kong. The Canadians were familiar with the background to Mr Maude's statements about international support during his recent visit to the territory. What he had said about Canada was couched in very general terms and was fully consistent with the Canadian public line as discussed between our High Commission and the DEA in Ottawa. I was therefore somewhat surprised by the highlighted passage in the talking points. If anyone had cause for complaint, it was the British Government. Comments made by a spokesman for the Canadian Commission in Hong Kong on what Mr Maude had said (which I quoted from BTC Hong Kong Telno 118) had been gratuitously disobliging. Our High Commission had taken them up with the DEA, who had acknowledged that they had been unhelpful. Mr Boehm said that the Canadians had had no complaint with Mr Maude's initial statement about international support but some later public remarks had raised eyebrows. I said that it was only because Canadian (and other) officials in Hong Kong had commented in the way they had that the press had subjected Mr Maude to further questioning.

3. I added that Ministers were determined to press ahead with our nationality package. But it would not be enough by itself to staunch the haemorrhage of talent from Hong Kong. That was why we were pressing friends and partners to do what they could to give similar assurances, and why Ministers wished to make the most publicly of what others were doing.

/There

CONFIDENTIAL