BACKGROUND
CONFIDENTIAL
General
1. We want to promote a stronger Hong Kong/Singapore relationship, keeping the Singaporeans briefed on Hong Kong and discreetly encouraging them to raise issues such as
confidence with the Chinese when possible. Current Chinese
suspicion of HMG motives make them more likely to listen to
points about confidence from a well-placed third party such as Singapore. (The Japanese Foreign Minister took a helpful line in Peking recently.) The Malaysians and Indonesians
are less likely to exercise effective influence.
PADS
2. Given the risk of leaks we do not want to go into details of the negotiations. With the Singaporeans, however, we could explain more fully the issues being
addressed.
Hong Kong Air Services Agreements
3. Following our sustained pressure on the Chinese, they
finally agreed at JLG XVII that two of the seven outstanding initialled ASA texts (Hong Kong/Malaysia and Hong
Kong/New Zealand) could proceed to signature.
The Hong Kong/Malaysia ASA was duly signed in Kuala Lumpur on
4 March.
4.
Separate Hong Kong ASAS with Indonesia and Singapore are also on our negotiating agenda. Negotiations with the
Indonesians are at an early stage: we have exchanged draft
texts, and talks are scheduled for late-May. Matters are
more advanced on the Hong Kong/Singapore ASA, and we came close to agreement at the last round of talks in Singapore last September. No date has yet been fixed for the next
round of talks.
5. Hong Kong has also signed a new (ie non-separated) ASA
with Brunei.
DUNAFD/1
CONFIDENTIAL
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