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MDLIAN 5812
OTHER MINISTERS ECHOED THIS THEME.
4.
THEY. EXPRESSED KEENNESS TO BUILD UP PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE ADMINISTRATIONS AND TO DEVELOP HABITS OF CONSULTATION, ESPECIALLY ON ISSUES SUCH AS APEC AND THE GATT, WHERE THEIR POSITIONS WERE CLOSE. LEE KUAN YEW LOOKED FURTHER AHEAD TO DEVELOPING LINKS WITH THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS WHO WOULD STRADDLE 1997 AND WHO COULD BE MADE TO SEE THE USEFULNESS * OF SINGAPORE'S SUPPORTING ROLE AND INDEED ITS POSSIBLE BUFFER ROLE ''TAILOR-MADE FOR US, VIS-A-VIS TAIWAN, CHINA AND HONG KONG''.
5. THE TALKS COVERED ALSO PROSPECTS FOR THE SUCCESSION IN CHINA: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS IN EACH COUNTRY AND REGION AND SHARED PROBLEMS SUCH AS DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN LABOUR, WITH COMPARISONS OF SINGAPORE'S GROWTH TRIANGLE WITH HONG KONG'S ROLE IN SHENZHEN AND GUANDONG.
6. THE GOVERNOR EXPRESSED GRATITUDE FOR SINGAPORE'S HELP IN ASSISTING HONG KONG'S ENTRY INTO APEC. BOTH BG LEE AND BG YEO, WHO WERE IN SEOUL, SAID THAT THE MEETING HAD GONE SMOOTHLY BUT THEY NOTED THE NEED FOR PUTTING SOME REAL CONTENT INTO THE DIALOGUE. BG YEO COMMENTED ON THE WAY IN WHICH THE THREE CHINAS HAD FRATERNISED WHEN OUT OF THE PUBLIC EYE, DISPLAYING A CONSIDERABLE SENSE OF KINSHIP. THE GOVERNOR APPEALED FOR PROGRESS ON HONG KONG'S STALLED EFFORTS
WITH SINGAPORE TO SEPARATE-OUT THE AIR SERVICES AGREEMENT AND SEEMED
TO MEET A READY RESPONSE.
7. ON VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE, THE GOVERNOR EXPLAINED THE SITUATION TO BOTH THE PRIME MINISTER AND GEORGE YEO, THE LATTER CAREFULLEH DID NOT RESPOND TO SUGGESTIONS THAT IT WOULD HELP IF ASEAN COUNTRIES WERE TO DEVISE WAYS TO RETURN THEIR OWN REFUGEES AS PART OF A GENERAL SCHEME.
+
8 BG LEE AND THE GOVERNOR AGREED TO LOOK INTO THE POSSIBILITY OF INVOLVING HONG KONG IN SOME WAY IN SINGAPORE'S MINISTERIAL-LED BUSINESS PROMOTION IN LONDON ON 17 AND 18 FEBRUARY 1992 (MY OTTERS 129 AND 138 NOT TO ALL), PRESENTING BOTH MARKETS AS POINTS OF ACCESS FOR BRITISH BUSINESS TO THE PACIFIC RIM. THE CHAIRMAN OF SINGAPORE'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD, PHILIP YEO, IS BEING ASKED TO DISCUSS WITH VICTOR FANG OF HONG KONG'S TDC WHEN IN HONG KONG IN THE NEXT FEW
DAYS.
COMMENT
9.
THE GOVERNOR WAS WELL PLEASED WITH SINGAPORE'S RESPONSE TO HIS VISIT. SINGAPORE'S SELF-INTERESTED KEENNESS TO ENSURE ITS OWN FUTURE ROLE IN THE CHINESE MARKET, AS A SMALL, NON-THREATENING,
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