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134554
MDLIAN 1899
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FM TOKYO
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 75
OF 04082OZ FEBRUARY 93
TOP COPY Q DIST?
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
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per
JAPAN/HONG KONG SUMMARY 1 JAPANESE AGREE TO CONTINUE TO SPEAK PRIVATELY TO THE CHINESE, BUT WARN US NOT TO PUSH THE CHINESE TOO FAR.
DETAIL 2. DURING HIS TALKS HERE ON 3 FEBRUARY, HUM (AUS) GAVE A FULL BRIEFING ON THE CURRENT STATE OF PLAY TO TAKENAKA (DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL FOR ASIAN AFFAIRS, MFA). TAKENAKA ASKED A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TIMETABLE AND THE POSSIBILITY OF AMENDMENTS TO THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS IN LEGCO. IN ANSWER TO ONE QUESTION, HUM ASSURED HIM THAT WE HAD NO INTENTION OF RAISING THIS AS AN ISSUE AT THE TOKYO G7 SUMMIT.
3. TAKENAKA SAID THAT JAPAN WAS BASICALLY IN HARMONY WITH OUR APPROACH AND WOULD CONTINUE TO SAY PRIVATELY TO THE CHINESE THAT JAPAN HAD AN INTEREST IN THE POLITICAL STABILITY AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG, AND HOPED THAT ANY PROBLEMS WOULD BE SOLVED THROUGH RATIONAL DIALOGUE RATHER THAN EMOTIONAL CONFRONTATION. THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY WOULD PROBABLY BE THE ANNUAL MEETING BETWEEN THE JAPANESE POLITICAL DIRECTOR AND HIS CHINESE COUNTERPART WHICH OUGHT TO TAKE PLACE THIS MONTH BUT MIGHT BE A LITTLE DELAYED. HUM SAID THAT HE HAD HEARD THAT THE CHINESE AMBASSADOR IN TOKYO WOULD SHORTLY BE RETURNING AT THE END OF HIS MISSION TO PEKING: IT WOULD BE GOOD IF HE CARRIED WITH HIM THE MESSAGE ON HONG KONG. TAKENAKA TOOK THIS ON BOARD. HE SAID THAT THE CHINESE GREATLY APPRECIATED THE DETAILED BRIEFINGS WHICH THEY RECEIVED ON HONG KONG MATTERS BOTH IN LONDON AND IN HONG KONG ITSELF.
4. OVER DINNER THE SAME EVENING, TANINO (DIPLOMATIC ADVISER TO THE PRIME MINISTER) SAID WITH UNUSUAL FRANKNESS THAT WHILE JAPAN WOULD SUPPORT US IN WHAT WE WERE CURRENTLY DOING IN HONG KONG WE SHOULD BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO GO TOO FAR.
THORPE
Y Y Y Y
HICO 021/2
RECEIVER
DE: INDE
ALG
04FEB 1993
SFFICER
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