CONFIDENTIAL
9677
MDLIAN 8628
OVER HONG KONG WITH THE KOREANS AND JAPANESE AS WELL.)
5.
DHC NOTED THE REQUEST AND THANKED ELDER FOR THE OFFER, BUT DID NOT COMMENT FURTHER. WE HAVE NOT DISCUSSED WITH THE NEW ZEALANDERS THE GENERAL POINTS RAISED IN THE HEAD OF HONG KONG DEPARTMENT'S PAPER OF 16 MARCH ON 'HONG KONG AND THE INTERNATIONALISATION ISSUE'. BUT THEY WILL BE SENSITIVE TO THE CONSIDERATION (PARA 3 OF RICKETT'S COVERING LETTER) THAT HIGH-PROFILE PUBLIC SUPPORT OF UK POSITIONS TENDS TO FUEL CHINA'S CONSPIRACY THEORIES.
6.
WE HAVE KEPT THE NEW ZEALANDERS BRIEFED GENERALLY ON SUCH ISSUES AS CHINA'S GATT APPLICATION AND THEY SEE A FAIR AMOUNT OF UK MATERIAL ON OUR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ASSESSMENTS OF CHINA. HOWEVER, YOU MAY WISH TO CONSIDER WHETHER THERE ARE ANY OTHER POINTS, BESIDE THE HONG KONG ISSUE, RELATING TO THOSE COUNTRIES WHICH BOLGER WILL VISIT, WHICH IT MAY BE IN OUR INTERESTS TO DRAW TO THE ATTENTION OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS.
MOSS
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
32
SPD
HKD
FED
ECD (E)
NNNN
DISTRIBUTION
32
CFSP UNIT
SIR J COLES MR MASEFIELD
MR HUM
2
PAGE CONFIDENTIAL
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