TNAG-2362-FCO40-3433-Visit-by-John-Major--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Hong-Kong--Septem-1991 — Page 54

CONFIDENTIAL

ніко

HUD $28/13

145

100036 MDHIAN 1913

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE F CO

TELNO 2807

OF 09120OZ SEPTEMBER 91

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

INFO PRIORITY BTC HONG KONG, WASHINGTON, SHANGHAI

INFO SAVING

HANOI

-HKD

PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO HONG KONG, 4 -5 SEPTEMBER

SUMMARY

1.

A SUCCESSFUL VISIT. ACHIEVEMENTS IN PEKING WARMLY WELCOMED. LOCAL PRESS EMPHASIS MORE ON THE HONG KONG COMPONENT OF THE CHINA VISIT THAN ON HUMAN RIGHTS. CONTINUING CONCERNS EXPRESSED ON THE VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS QUESTION. PREDICTABLE PRESSURE FROM THE LIBERALS TO PUSH CHINA FOR A FASTER PACE OF DEMOCRACY. A USEFUL

MEETING WITH EXCO.

DETAIL

2.

THE PRIME MINISTER AND MRS MAJOR, ACCOMPANIED BY YOU, VISITED HONG KONG ON 4-5 SEPTEMBER. THIS WAS THE FIRST VISIT BY A PRIME MINISTER TO HONG KONG SINCE 1984. AS IN 1984, IT FOLLOWED THE SIGNATURE IN PEKING OF AN IMPORTANT DOCUMENT ON HONG KONG - THIS TIME THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON THE AIRPORT. THE FOCUS OF INTEREST IN HONG KONG WAS ON THE HONG KONG COMPONENTS OF THE CHINA VISIT, INCLUDING PROGRESS ON JLG ISSUES. ALSO ON LOCAL ISSUES IN WHICH BRITAIN PLAYS A ROLE, NOTABLY VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS AND THE PACE OF DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE TERRITORY. THE LAST WAS PARTICULARLY TOPICAL BECAUSE OF NEXT WEEK'S ELECTIONS.

3. WHILE THERE WAS PLEASURE THAT THE HONG KONG RESIDENT LUO HAIXING WAS TO BE RELEASED FROM PRISON IN CHINA, THERE WAS LESS FOCUS HERE ON THE QUESTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS THAN THERE WAS IN THE BRITISH PRESS. INSOFAR AS THE LOCAL PRESS COMMENTED ON IT, THE GENERAL VIEW WAS THAT THE PRIME MINISTER HAND HANDLED THE ISSUE SKILFULLY IN PEKING, GOING UP TO THE LINE BUT AVOIDING A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON DEALINGS OVER HONG KONG.

PROGRAMME