TNAG-2290-FCO40-3296-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Macau-1991 — Page 236

UNCLASSIFIED

RECE

насого

12 FEB 1991

UNCLASSIFIED

FM BTC HONG KONG

TO ROUTINE FCO

TELNO 57

OF 12014OZ FEBRUARY 91

INDEA

INFO ROUTINE PEKING, LISBON, HONG KONG

RECISTO

Motion Taken

(10)

033317

MDLIAN 7809

TOP COPY Q DIST?

p.a.

Maiao

7.

CORRECTED VERSION

FCO FOR HKD AND FED

MICHAEL COLVIN MP VISIT TO MACAO 8 FEBRUARY 1991

1.

GRAHAM TOOK MICHAEL COLVIN MP (AND VICE CHAIRMAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE) AND MRS COLVIN TO MACAO ON 8 FEBRUARY. NEITHER HAD BEEN BEFORE AND COLVIN WANTED TO DRAW SOME POLITICAL COMPARISONS WITH HONG KONG.

2. CALLS WERE MADE IN THE MORNING ON ANTONIO LECA CACTING DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC SERVICES) AND JOSE FONSECA (DIPLOMATIC ADVISER). FONSECA'S WIFE LOUISA (HEAD OF MACAO GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS) TOOK MRS COLVIN SEPARATELY TO THE NEW MARITIME MUSEUM AND THE A MA TEMPLE.

3.

IN THE AFTERNOON BRIGADIER KENT (RACING DIRECTOR) GAVE A TOUR

OF THE MACAO JOCKEY CLUB. THE COLVINS ALSO SAW THE OLD VILLAGE OF TAIPA, THE TAIPA HOUSE MUSEUM AND MANY OF THE NEW PROJECTS OR PROJECT SITES (AIRPORT, PORT, INDUSTRIAL PARK, SECOND BRIDGE AND PRAYA GRANDE RECLAMATION) BEFORE RETURNING TO HONG KONG.

4 DURING THE MEETINGS A FEW INTERESTING POINTS EMERGED ON THE AIRPORT SITUATION (REPORTED SEPARATELY IN OUR TELELETTER (11 FEBRUARY)). LECA STRESSED MACAO'S DEPENDENCE ON HONG KONG AND NEED TO GROW MORE INDEPENDENT BY HAVING THE AIRPORT AS A FOCUS FOR EXPORT DIVERSIFICATION. COLVIN SUGGESTED AEROSPACE PRODUCTS (HIGH VALUE, USUALLY MOVED BY AIRFREIGHT). LECA ADMITTED TEXTILES (74 PER CENT OF EXPORTS) WERE BEING, AND WOULD BE FURTHER, HIT BY STRICTER CONTROL ON COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELS BY THE USA. HE POINTED TO MACAO'S STRONG FISCAL POSITION. THE CHINESE HAD NEVER SUGGESTED MACAO WOULD BE LEFT FINANCIALLY WEAKENED BY ANY OF THE PROPOSED PROJECTS. HE INTIMATED MACAO, HONG KONG AND TAIWAN SHOULD LINK TOGETHER MORE, A POINT ALSO ALLUDED TO BY FONSECA.

1

PAGE

UNCLASSIFIED