TNAG-2917-FCO40-4192-International-support-from-Australasia-regarding-the-future--1993 — Page 42

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HKD 021/5

Мно

RECER

15 SEP 1993

FM MELBOURNE

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

DES

TELNO U/N

INDE

OF 141744Z SEPTEMBER 93

047717

MDHIAN 5028

cius lak

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, HONG KONG, UKREPI JLG HONG KONG INFO IMMEDIATE CANBERRA

ри

int sup.

FROM PRIVATE SECRETARY

MY 7 IPTS (NOT TO ALL): FOREIGN SECRETARY'S TALKS WITH AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

HONG

1.

KONG

on

The Foreign Secretary gave Evans an account of progress the constitutional talks. These were not going very well and the Governor might in the end have to go ahead with arrangements for the 1995 elections without Chinese agreement. However, despite the differences over constitutional development, it was in Chinese interests to make progress on other matters, eg the airport, defence lands and the update of Legislation. At the end of the day, the Chinese would have to decide whether they were prepared to begin their

administration in 1997 by ejecting certain members of LegCo. He thanked Evans for Australia's past support on this issue: we would keep them in the picture,

2.

Evans said he needed no convincing of the value of maintaining democracy in Hong Kong, but Keating was more cynical. Lt would be worth trying to sensitize Keating to what we wished to achieve, during his visit to the UK.

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