TNAG-2346-FCO40-3415-Political-relations-between-Hong-Kong--Japan-and-China-1991 — Page 65

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INFO PRIORITY UKREP JLG HONG KONG, PEKING, TOKYO

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ZHOU NAN'S VISIT TO TOKYO

1.

THE JAPANESE EMBASSY HERE RANG THE HEAD OF HKD ON 9 OCTOBER TO GIVE US AN ACCOUNT OF THE JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER'S MEETING WITH ZHOU NAN (HEAD OF THE NEW CHINA NEWS AGENCY IN HONG KONG), WHO IS VISITING TOKYO.

2.

NAKAYAMA SEEMS TO HAVE SPOKEN HELPFULLY ON HONG KONG, MAKING THREE MAIN POINTS. FIRST, HE UNDERLINED THE IMPORTANCE TO JAPAN OF THE CONTINUING PROSPERITY AND STABILITY OF HONG KONG. ZHOU NAN APPARENTLY RESPONDED WITH A STANDARD EXPOSITION OF DENG'S COMMITMENT TO THE ONE COUNTRY/TWO SYSTEMS APPROACH. PROSPERITY AND STABILITY IN HONG KONG WERE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE FUTURE TASK OF THE REUNIFICATION OF CHINA. THIS WAS A LONG-TERM VIEW, NOT A SHORT-TERM POLICY. CHINA WANTED A SMOOTH TRANSITION AND TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS OF HONG KONG AS A CENTRE OF TRADE, FINANCING, SHIPPING AND AVIATION.

3. SECOND, NAKAYAMA SAID THAT JAPAN APPRECIATED THE AIRPORT AGREEMENT, WHICH HELPED TO GUARANTEE THE FUTURE PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG. JAPAN HOPED THAT CHINA WOULD KEEP THE PRESENT ECONOMIC SYSTEM IN HONG KONG POST-1997. ZHOU NAN REPLIED THAT CHINA WISHED TO SEE THE LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG AND THE ''INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT'' OF HONG KONG. THIS HAD STRUCK THE JAPANESE AS A NEW AND INTERESTING FORMULATION. ZHOU NAN HAD EXPLAINED THAT IT MEANT THAT ALTHOUGH THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG COULD ONLY BE DECIDED BY THE UK AND CHINA, ALL COUNTRIES WITH ECONOMIC INTERESTS IN HONG KONG HAD A ROLE IN CONTRIBUTING TO THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG. ZHOU NAN ADDED THAT HE HAD

ALSO SPOKEN TO JAPANESE BUSINESSMEN WHILE IN TOKYO. HE HAD FOUND THEM ENTHUSIASTIC AND HOPED THAT JAPAN COULD CONTRIBUTE EVEN MORE TO HONG KONG'S DEVELOPMENT.

4.

THIRD, ON THE ELECTIONS, NAKAYAMA COMMENTED THAT IF DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT IN HONG KONG CONTINUED, INVESTMENT FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES WOULD CONTINUE AS WELL AND THIS WOULD