TNAG-2914-FCO40-4189-International-support-from-the-USA-regarding-the-future-of-H-1993 — Page 20

PS/GH

CONFIDENTIAL

29/11

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Hong Kong: International Support

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RECE

29NOV1993

DISTRY

INUE.

As agreed at the Ad Hoc meeting on 22 November,

briefed the Consuls-General of the US, Japan and Australia, and the Commissioners of Canada and New Zealand on the critical

During the course point that we have now reached in our talks.

of these briefings the US and Japanese briefed me on the

following.

2.

Mueller

The US Consul-General told me that he had seen

Li Chuwen over the weekend at the latter's request. said that he had taken a much more forceful line with Li than he had with Lu Ping during his recent visit to Peking, on which I minuted separately. He stressed to Li the importance for confidence of an agreement between Britain and China on constitutional issues. He also stressed the beneficial impact that this would have on the US Congress in its consideration of the US/China relationship. Li had asked Mueller how it would play if the Chinese were to separate economic issues from political. (Mueller told me that this question seemed to be popping up quite a bit recently, including during visits by Kissinger and AmCham.) Mueller had taken the line that it might be all right if such a separation was not accompanied by loud rhetoric from Peking on political issues, ie. if they allowed Hong Kong to get on with economic projects and at the same time exercised restraint in their criticism of Hong Kong's activity in the political area. Li took this point but thought that it would be difficult for the chinese side.

CONFIDENTIAL

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