TNAG-2917-FCO40-4192-International-support-from-Australasia-regarding-the-future--1993 — Page 102

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 696

OF 20090OZ MAY 93

CONFIDENTIAL

HKCD 021/5

073061

MDHIAN 1645

13

RECE

2 0 MAY 1993

ра

INDE

TOP COPY Q DIST?

207-

INFO IMMEDIATE WELLINGTON, HONG KONG,

INFO PRIORITY TOKYO, SEOUL, CANBERRA, WASHINGTON, ACTOR

12)

WELLINGTON TELNO 182: NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINSTER'S VISIT TO CHINA:

HONG KONG

1.

BEFORE WE RECEIVED TUR, THE NEW ZEALAND CHARGE HERE (WORKER) RAN THROUGH WITH US HIS NOTES OF BOLGER'S MEETING WITH ZHU RONGJI. FROM THESE IT APPEARS THAT ZHU'S REFERENCE TO HONG KONG BEING ''NOT SO PEACEFUL'' BEFORE 1997 WAS AN ECHO OF DENG'S OLD LINE ABOUT POSSIBLE TURBULENCE. LIU HUAQIU'S ''THREE POINTS'' (AS BASIS FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT) WERE A BIT OBSCURE BUT WERE NO DOUBT THE JOINT

DECLARATION, BASIC LAW AND PAST AGREEMENTS AND UNDERSTANDINGS. POINT B IN PARA 4 OF TUR WAS THEN LIU'S SECOND OBSERVATION AND

POINT C HIS THIRD. (COMMENT. THE REFERENCE TO THE RELATIVELY

LIMITED OBJECTIVE OF REDUCING DIFFERENCES AND ENLARGING COMMON

GROUND IS NEW AND SOMEWHAT ENCOURAGING: IE IT SOUNDS MORE LIKE A

DIPLOMATIC NEGOTIATION AND LESS LIKE A POLITICAL STRUGGLE. WE

SHALL SEE.)

2. WORKER CONFIRMED THAT BOLGER SAID NOTHING SPECIFIC ABOUT HONG

KONG'S POLITICAL SYSTEM.

3. ON MFN ZHU APPARENTLY ALSO NOTED THAT PRESIDENT CLINTON HAD MADE

CERTAIN PUBLIC PROMISES DURING THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN.

4. IT IS HELPFUL THAT ZHU RECOGNISES (NO DOUBT AS A RESULT OF HIS

VISIT TO LONDON LAST NOVEMBER) THAT THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE OF VIEW

BETWEEN THE GOVERNOR AND MINISTERS.

5. THE GENERAL IMPRESSION CONVEYED WAS THAT ZHU WAS A SENSIBLE AND INTELLIGENT PERSON WITH WHOM IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE TO DO BUSINESS.

6. WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELLINGTON'S REPORT OF OTHER ASPECTS OF THIS

CORDIAL VISIT (PARA 8 OF TUR) AND SHALL THEN CONSIDER WHETHER WE CAN

ADD ANYTHING FURTHER FROM HERE.

MCLEAN