RE-DRAFT OF LETTER FROM DAVID HOWELL TO MOTOO SHIINA
We are moving ahead with our preparations to meet the agenda of
our Awashima conference, which we agreed during our October visit
to Tokyo. I enclose a copy of our English version and a
provisional list of our team.
I am glad to say that Chris Patten has now confirmed his
intention to attend, and this gives added weight to the
importance of our main subject, "Hong Kong and South China in an
Asia/Pacific context". He has particularly welcomed the regional context in which the item is set, as Hong Kong is usually
considered either against the background of China or in relation
to Hong Kong's American or European markets. I believe this is a
very important point which needs further emphasis, particularly in Hong Kong itself.
After discussion with the Foreign Office, we would also like to
propose setting in hand preliminary moves to consider holding a
tripartite UK-HK-Japan conference in Hong Kong, probably in
September/October next year. A possible title for the conference
might be: "Britain, Japan and Asia to the next century-Trade,
Security and Cooperation". Our aim would be to bring together
high-level participants to take a broad stategic look at future
trends in Asia. We would envisage the future prosperity and
stability of Hong Kong being one important element in the
discussions, but would not wish to pick it out as a separate
theme because of Chinese sensitivities over
"internationalisation" of the issue.
Let me offer some outline ideas on what the conference might
cover:
(i) The wider political and economic developments in East Asia
against the background of developments in the global economy. (Including Japanese and US influence in the region and US/China
Ltmotoo1112
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