CONFIDENTIAL
144164
MDHIAN 7504
SITUATIONS WHERE IT WAS A MATTER OF LAW. USUALLY, HOWEVER, WE GAVE NO RESPONSE TO SUCH APPROACHES. DECISIONS ON OUR PART TO
TAKE ACTION SUCH AS REFUSING PEOPLE ENTRY WERE ARRIVED AT IN CONSIDERATION OF THE LAW AND HONG KONG'S BEST INTERESTS.
7
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DONOHUE EXPRESSED SYMPATHY AT THE UNIQUE POLITICAL DIFFICULTIES OF OUR SITUATION. HOWEVER HE ASKED AGAIN THAT THE QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT WE HAD AGREED TO DENY ENTRY TO THE STUDENTS IN RESPONSE TO A CHINESE DEMAND BE REFERRED UPWARDS FOR ''A TRULY AUTHORATIVE RESPONSE FROM THE HIGHEST LEVEL''. HE ALSO MADE THE EXTRAORDINARY REMARK THAT THE US SECRETARY OF STATE 'RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM MANY SOURCES'' AND THE CONSULATE WERE ANXIOUS TO MAKE SURE THEY HAD THE ''MOST AUTHORITATIVE ACCOUNT. COMMENT: IT LOOKS AS IT THEY HAVE HEARD FROM AN NCNA SOURCE DESCRIBING NCNA'S INTERPRETATION OF OUR RESTATEMENT OF POLICY (OUR TELNO 2172 REFERS) AS AMOUNTING TO AN UNDERTAKING: WHICH OF COURSE IT WAS NOT.
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IF THE SAME DEMANCHE IS INDEED BEING MADE TO YOU AND IN WASHINGTON YOU MAY WISH TO CO-ORDINATE A RESPONSE. MY OWN INCLINATION WOULD BE TO HAVE BRADLEY CONTACT THE AMERICANS AGAIN, MAKING IT CLEAR THAT HE IS SPEAKING ON MY INSTRUCTIONS. HE WOULD DECLINE TO GIVE ANY FURTHER COMMENT ON THE PRECISE DECISION MAKING PROCESS OR WHERE THE DECISION WAS TAKEN. THIS IS A MATTER INTERNAL TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WHICH NO FOREIGN GOVERNMENT HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW. HE WILL CONFIRM THAT AT NO STAGE DID WE GIVE ANY UNDERTAKING TO DENY ENTRY TO THE STUDENTS. IF ASKED DIRECTLY, HOWEVER, HE WILL CONFIRM THAT THE CHINESE DID REQUEST THAT WE DENY ENTRY, BUT REITERATE THAT OUR DECISION WAS NOT A RESPONSE TO THAT REQUEST, NOR DID WE TELL THE CHINESE THAT IT WAS.
COMMENT
9.
THIS IS PRETTY HEAVY HANDED STUFF. THE OVERALL EFFECT MAY PARTLY BE DUE TO DONOHUE'S CLODHOPPING STYLE BUT THE THRUST OF
BOTH THE DEMARCHE AND QUESTIONS IS NOTABLY MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN ANYTHING WE HAVE HAD ON CHINA-RELATED QUESTIONS FROM THE AMERICANS IN RECENT YEARS. IN PERSONAL COMMENTS TO BRADLEY, DONOHUE GAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT CHINA IS UTTERLY OUT OF FAVOUR IN WASHINGTON: IT WAS THE ONE AREA OF PRESIDENT BUSH'S FOREIGN POLICY WHERE HE WAS VULNERABLE AND WHICH HAD PAID LITTLE OR NO DIVIDEND: CONSEQUENTLY THERE WERE SIGNS OF CHANGE TOWARDS A TOUGHER ATTITUDE.
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