TNAG-2225-FCO40-3196-Political-relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Australia-1991 — Page 58

UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED

111144

MDTTAN 8829

250

UNCLASSIFIED

FM CANBERRA

TO TELELETTER FCO

TELELETTER NFR

OF 28013OZ FEBRUARY 91

нив 020 15

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

18 MAR 1991

OFFICE

15/7 pp.

INFO TELELETTER HONG KONG, JLG HONG KONG, PEKING, WASHINGTON

TO: FED, FCO

FROM: W C PATEY

COPIED TO: HONG KONG

JLG HONG KONG

PEKING WASHINGTON

;) (C RAI)

SPD

HKD)

--) Mes logen ar

Mar Walters as

('res Daurer has seen)

MY TELELETTER OF 21 FEBRUARY: AUSTRALIA/CHINA RELATIONS

1.

दर विटड़

93

AS FORESHADOWED IN TLUR THE AUSTRALIANS HAVE NOW ANNOUNCED

THE LIFTING OF RESTRICTIONS ON AUSTRALIA'S RELATIONS WITH CHINA WHICH WERE APPLIED IN JULY 1989.

2. ALL THE MEASURES MENTIONED IN PARA 2 OF TLUR HAVE BEEN LIFTED AND THE ONLY RESTRICTIONS THAT CONTINUE TO APPLY WILL BE ON HIGH LEVEL DEFENCE VISITS AND DEFENCE SALES AND ON CERTAIN VISITS BY PUBLIC SECURITY AND POLICE OFFICIALS.

·

3. IN MAKING THIS DECISION THE AUSTRALIANS SAID THAT ALTHOUGH FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND ASSOCIATION CONTINUE TO BE SEVERELY REPRESSED IN CHINA IN OTHER RESPECTS THERE HAD BEEN ''DISCERNIBLE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION'' THE AUSTRALIANS SAY THAT THEY HAVE ALSO TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT THE ATTITUDE OF LIKEMINDED COUNTRIES TOWARDS NORMALISATION OF RELATIONS AND CITE THE EC FOREIGN MINISTERS' DECISION IN OCTOBER 1990 TO EASE SANCTIONS ON CHINA WHICH PROMPTED THE RESUMPTION OF ORDINARY MINISTERIAL VISITS AS WELL AS BILATERAL AID AND CONCESSIONAL FINANCE. JAPAN'S ANNOUNCEMENT IN JULY 1990 OF ITS RESUMPTION OF ITS THIRD YEN LOAN AND THE RESUMPTION OF MINISTERIAL VISITS AS WELL AS THE VISITS OF THE CHINESE FORIEGN MINISTER TO THE UNITED STATES IN DECEMBER 1990 ARE ALSO CITED AS FACTORS WHICH THE AUSTRALIANS HAVE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT.