CONFIDENTIAL
142717 MDLI 5597
EXPOSITION OF BRITISH POLICY ON HONG KONG.
3. THE CALL ON CHUA JUI MENG CONTAINED FEW SURPRISES. MALAYSIAN CONCERNS ABOUT FORTRESS EUROPE AGAIN CAME UP, AS DID WORRIES ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE GATT ROUND WHERE MR GOODLAD WAS ABLE TO GIVE A REASONABLY REASSURING ASSESSMENT OF THE FUTURE INTENTIONS OF THE NEW US ADMINISTRATION.
4. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT MINISTERIAL CALL WAS ON ANWAR IBRAHIM, WHOM MR GOODLAD HAD MET DURING ANWAR'S VISIT TO LONDON EARLIER THIS YEAR. THE ATMOSPHERE WAS FRIENDLY AND THE MEETING LASTED OVER AN HOUR. THE DISCUSSION WAS FREE-RANGING (WHICH ANWAR ENJOYS) AND HE WAS PARTICULARLY COMPLIMENTARY ABOUT THE QUALITY OF BRITISH COMPANIES OPERATING IN MALAYSIA. THE MOST IMPORTANT TOPIC COVERED WAS AIR SERVICES WHERE THE MALAYSIANS HAVE A NUMBER OF DEMANDS
(FLIGHTS FROM LONDON TO MEXICO, MANCHESTER TO NEW YORK AND MORE FLIGHTS TO LONDON) WHICH WERE THE SUBJECT OF INCONCLUSIVE MINISTERIAL AND OFFICIAL LEVEL DISCUSSIONS IN LONDON LAST MONTH. MR GOODLAD INDICATED THAT ALTHOUGH, IN THE PURELY AIR SERVICES FIELD, MALAYSIA HAS NOTHING TO OFFER THE UK IN RETURN FOR CONCESSIONS ON OUR SIDE, IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO REACH A SETTLEMENT WHICH WOULD TAKE ACCOUNT OF BRITISH COMMERCIAL INTERESTS ELSEWHERE AND WHICH ALSO INCLUDED COMPENSATION FOR BRITISH AIRWAYS.
5.
THE LECTURE AT THE INSTITUTE OF DIPLOMACY AND FOREIGN RELATIONS WAS BEFORE A SMALL INVITED AUDIENCE OF SENIOR MALAYSIANS FROM BOTH GOVERNMENT AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR. IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A STATEMENT OF OUR POLICY TOWARDS THE AREA, AND IN PARTICULAR IT GAVE AN OPENING FOR AN EXPOSITION ON OUR POLICY TOWARDS HONG KONG. THIS IS A SOURCE OF SOME CONCERN AND MISUNDERSTANDING IN MALAYSIA AND PROVIDED THE MAIN TOPIC FOR THE SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSION.
6. THE PRESS COVERAGE WAS FAVOURABLE (THE NEW STRAITS TIMES, WHICH IS USUALLY CLOSE TO GOVERNMENT THINKING, HEADLINED ITS ARTICLE ON THE CALL ON ANWAR IBRAHIM QUOTE CORDIAL TALKS WITH BRITISH MINISTER UNQUOTE).
COMMENT
7. THE FACT THAT MR GOODLAD LAST VISITED BOTH KUALA LUMPUR AND PENANG SOME FIFTEEN YEARS AGO MEANS THAT HE WAS PARTICULARLY WELL PLACED TO APPRECIATE THE REMARKABLE ECONOMIC PROGRESS WHICH MALAYSIA HAS MADE IN THE INTERVENING PERIOD. THE VISIT WILL ALSO HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE HIGH LEVEL OF THE CURRENT ANGLO-MALAYSIAN
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