TNAG-2917-FCO40-4192-International-support-from-Australasia-regarding-the-future--1993 — Page 31

CONFIDENTIAL

MID 021/5

RECE

39

050410

MDLIAN 9568

CONFIDENTIAL

FM WELLINGTON

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 424

OF 120225Z NOVEMBER 93

INDEX

1 5 NOV 1993

Pa

بل

12/11.

INFO PRIORITY CANBERRA, OTTAWA, HONG KONG, PEKING

021/4

60

YOUR TELNO 443 TO CANBERRA: HONG KONG: INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

SUMMARY

1.

NO FORMAL MEETING IN SEATTLE LIKELY BETWEEN NEW ZEALAND DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND CHINESE PRESIDENT, BUT MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE (MFAT) WILL ENSURE THAT MINISTER IS BRIEFED ON

OUR ARGUMENTS IN CASE THERE IS ANY INFORMAL CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE TWO.

DETAIL

2. I SPOKE TO WOOD, DEPUTY SECRETARY, MFAT TODAY. HE SAID THAT NEW ZEALAND WOULD NOW BE SENDING THEIR DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER TO THE LEADERS' MEETING IN SEATTLE. BUT IT LOOKED UNLIKELY THAT HE WOULD HAVE A BILATERAL MEETING WITH THE CHINESE PRESIDENT. NONE THE LESS

THERE MIGHT BE OPPORTUNITIES FOR AN INFORMAL CONVERSATION BETWEEN JIANG ZEMIN AND THE NEW ZEALAND DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER. MFAT WOULD ENSURE THAT THE MINISTER'S BRIEF REFLECTED OUR POINTS. WOOD ACCEPTED THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT BRITAIN'S WESTERN PARTNERS SHOULD PUT OVER THIS ESSENTIAL MESSAGE TO THE CHINESE. PEKING

NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WAS NOT SIMPLY A MATTER OF ANXIETY IN LONDON. HONG KONG'S FUTURE MATTERED TO OTHER COUNTRIES, SUCH AS NEW ZEALAND, WITH A STAKE IN TERRITORY'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY.

MOSS

YYYY

PAGE

1

CONFIDENTIAL