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TO IMMEDIATE PEKING
TELNO 338
OF 23133OZ APRIL 92
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, WASHINGTON INFO PRIORITY UKREP BRUSSELS
39
132771
MDHOAN 3447
pa
(CORRECTED VERSION)
(34)
35
YOUR TELNOS 565 AND 566: THE MCCONNELL BILL/EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DRAFT RESOLUTION: CHINESE DEMARCHE
1.
AMBASSADOR MA CAME AT HIS REQUEST TO SEE SIR JOHN COLES ON 23 APRIL TO FOLLOW UP THE DEMARCHE TO YOU RECORDED IN TURS ABOUT THE MCCONNELL BILL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DRAFT RESOLUTION. 2=
MA DREW SELECTIVELY ON THE SAME CHINESE AIDE MEMOIRE AS HAD BEEN HANDED TO YOU ON THE MCCONNELL BILL, EMPHASISING THAT AS A CLOSE ALLY OF THE US, HMG SHOULD USE ITS INFLUENCE TO STOP THE BILL, AND SHOULD MAKE OUR POSITION CLEAR BY SPELLING OUT PUBLICLY OUR OPPOSITION TO IT. THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TOOK THIS MATTER VERY SERIOUSLY. THE AMBASSADOR SAID THAT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DRAFT RESOLUTION ALSO CONSTITUTED THIRD PARTY INTERFERENCE IN THE AFFAIRS OF HONG KONG. HE SAID WE SHOULD PERSUADE OUR EUROPEAN PARTNERS TO GET THE RESOLUTION DROPPED.
3=
SIR JOHN COLES REPLIED THAT WE WOULD STUDY THE AIDE MEMOIRE.
WE HAD NOT ENCOURAGED THE MCCONNELL BILL NOR HAD WE ACQUIESED IN
IT.
WE HAD LET THE US ADMINISTRATION KNOW OF OUR CONCERN BUT THERE WAS A LIMIT TO WHAT WE COULD DO. WE COULD NOT INTERFERE IN THE AFFAIRS OF ANOTHER STATE. PUBLIC CRITICISM OF THE BILL WOULD BE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE AND THERE WOULD BE CONSEQUENCES FOR US-CHINA RELATIONS. THE BILL TRIED TO ENGAGE CONGRESSIONAL
INTEREST IN HONG KONG IN A HELPFUL WAY. THE US WAS A MAJOR INVESTOR IN HONG KONG AND IT WAS NATURAL FOR THEM TO TAKE AN INTEREST IN THE TERRITORY. SENATOR MCCONNELL WAS NOT AN ENEMY OF CHINA. HE HAD VOTED FOR THE RENEWAL OF CHINA'S MFN STATUS. HIS INTENTIONS WERE GOOD. SIR JOHN COLES CONTINUED THAT WE RECOGNISED THAT THE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS WERE A MATTER OF CONCERN TO THE CHINESE. THE US ADMINISTRATION WERE AWARE OF THIS CONCERN, AND IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THE BILL WOULD BE AMENDED. IT WAS BETTER TO ALLOW THINGS TO CONTINUE QUIETLY AND TO WAIT AND SEE WHAT THE FINAL TEXT OF THE BILL WOULD BE LIKE
BEFORE DECIDING HOW TO REACT. IT WAS WORTH EMPHASISING AGAIN
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