TNAG-2916-FCO40-4191-International-support-from-European-countries-regarding-the--1993 — Page 95

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE CANBERRA

TELNO 443

AND TO IMMEDIATE OTTAWA, WELLINGTON

OF 111215Z NOVEMBER 93

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, PEKING

TOP COPY Q DIST 2

047276

MDHOAN 0809

60

REGE

MUB 021/4

нив

DCS:

INDE,

15 NOV 1993

HONG KONG: INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

1. Ministers wish to ensure that those friends and allies who support our policy on Hong Kong, and who have forthcoming contacts with the Chinese Leadership, should be briefed on recent developments, and given suggestions on the sort of points which we would find it useful for them to make on Hong Kong.

2.

Since President Jiang Zemin will be attending the APEC Summit in Seattle (19-20 November), the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian Heads of Government may be having bilaterals with him.

We (We are dealing separately with the Americans and Japanese). would be grateful if you could therefore bring MFAs up-to-date with developments, and outline the points we hope they would be willing to get across on Hong Kong, drawing on the points below

3.

In recent weeks, there have been some signs of movement from the Chinese side. In particular, the prospect has opened up that we may be able to reach an interim agreement in the next few weeks, dealing with the arrangements for the District Board and Municipal Council elections (September 1994 and March 1995 respectively) and the more immediate issues relating to the Legislative Council elections. If we can achieve that, it would enable us to start the legislative process in Hong Kong and would give us a little more time (but not much) to concentrate on the more difficult Legislative Council issues, in particular the Functional Constituencies, the Election Committee and the through train. On these the gap remains wide and we shall need a good deal of further flexibility from the Chinese side if we are to reach an agreement. We are frankly not yet clear whether the Chinese Leadership are willing to accept arrangements for the Legislative Council elections which are open and fair, and not subject to manipulation from Peking.

4.

The Prime Minister held a stock-taking meeting on 10 November

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