MFA COMMISSIONER IN MACAU RESPONDS ON U.S.

C O N F I D E N T I A L HONG KONG 000894

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2033
TAGS: CMGT CVIS AMGT AFIN APER PREL HK MC CH
SUBJECT: MFA COMMISSIONER IN MACAU RESPONDS ON U.S.
CONSULAR AGENT

REF: A. HONG KONG 0645

B. HONG KONG 0171

Classified By: Consul General James B. Cunningham, for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d)


1. (C) PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs Commissioner to Macau
Wan Yongxiang told Consul General Cunningham in a meeting in
Macau on May 15 that the notion of a "consular agent" was
still new to China, and would require further deliberation
and study by Beijing. China was not yet ready to agree to
establish a U.S. consular agent in Macau, as the Consul
General had proposed in their meeting April 3 (ref A),
Commssioner Wan said.


2. (C) The CG noted that Macau currently had several
"honorary consuls" and asked if Beijing's concerns focused on
our use of the term "consular agent/agency" rather than the
more common "honorary consul." Commissioner Wan responded
that, indeed, Macau had about 13 honorary consuls, though
some were resident in Hong Kong and covered both territories.
China, said Wan, was not very comfortable with the notion of
"honorary consuls" either, as they did not use such a
position within their diplomatic system. In all of mainland
China there were only about five "honorary consuls,"
according to Wan. China had inherited the honorary
consulships when it recovered Hong Kong and Macau and had let
them stay in place; with the exception of the UK's honorary
consul, all have been Macau citizens or residents. The Macau
SAR government would have to agree to our establishing the
consular agent and had "decided in 2003 not to approve any
new honorary consul positions," claimed Wan.


3. (C) Wan recommended that we continue the discussion
directly with the MFA's Bureau of Consular Affairs in Beijing.


4. (C) Comment: The 65-year old Wan will be wrapping up his
posting in Macau at the end of this month, after which he
said he plans to retire. His presentation and body language
made it clear that he has had no desire to take on an
extraneous "project" in his last weeks in Macau. We think
that without the implicit or explicit support of the MFA
Commissioner in Macau, there is little point in raising this
directly with the MFA in Beijing. We will wait until the
next MFA commissioner arrives in Macau and work the issue
with him. Lu Shumin, 58, has been tapped to replace Wan.
His most recent post was as ambassador to Canada, and he has
spent much time in the Department of North American and
Oceanian Affairs. In the meantime, we will continue to
expand and solidify our warden network and work directly in
Macau.
Cunningham