TNAG-2911-FCO40-4186-International-support-from-Asia-regarding-the-future-of-Hong-1993 — Page 16

ANNEX A

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VISIT BY SECRETARY OF STATE TO SINGAPORE, 5-6 JULY

OBJECTIVES

(i) To probe Singapore's thinking on South East Asia and

East Asian foreign policy and security issues at a time of policy development (the ASEAN Ministerial meeting and ASEAN PMC will take place in Singapore in late July);

(ii) To confirm our commitment to the FPDA (following

Mr Rifkind's successful visit on 21 May) and to underline our capacity to contribute to the policy debate on security issues. in the region (we shall no longer be in the EC Troika);

(iii) To stress our continuing strong interest and involvement in Singapore's economic and commercial progress (one of our top twenty world markets);

(iv) To counter any lingering sense of neglect by Britain and meet any charges of taking Singapore for granted;

(v) To explain to Singapore Ministers our policies in Hong

Kong. We have no wish to widen differences with China so as

to affect regional security (the burden of Lee Kuan Yew's

charges to Mr Rifkind);

(vi) To strengthen the personal ties between the British and Singaporean cabinets (both Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and Mr Major took office on 28 November 1990 from long serving predecessors who were close to each other) and to confirm our invitation to Goh Chok Tong to visit Britain next year.

seadOS/SUES/sofs. sgpvis

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