TNAG-2349-FCO40-3418-Political-relations-between-Hong-Kong--China-and-the-Europea-1991 — Page 6

Mr

Paúl

Mr Burns

EC SUPPORT ON HONG KONG

RESTRICTED

FROM:

NJ COX

Hong Kong Department

9 July 1991

DATE:

done

:

Mr Davies, FED

Mr Wye, RAD

Ms Roe, ECD (E)

Ms Grant, WED

Mr Pearey, SED

Ms Major

Mr Morris

Ms Saunders

Mr Stone

1. Mr Burns asked recently whether we had ever thought to

mobilise the Community on Hong Kong's behalf in relations

with China.

2. Mr Davies (FED) noted that Italian Foreign Minister

De Michelis had ambitions to put some meat into the Twelve's relations with China and professed to believe that this could help over Hong Kong and Macao, but commented that he

was sceptical.

3.

Ms Major has pointed out that the Twelve reacted strongly to Tiananmen and agreed various measures against China, but that in general we prefer to cultivate countries bilaterally and encourage them to be helpful, rather than going for headline-grabbing statements (which fuel Chinese paranoia about "internationalization").

ARTAFN/1

CC

RESTRICTED