MKK 6/18
CONFIDENTIAL
B. U 1874
2 April, 1970.
Hong Kong Commercial Relations.
Thank you for your letter of 4 February. After full reflection we agree that the bost course would be to amend the statement so that it can be applied to international organisations. But we doubt whether your suggestions for amendment go quite far enough.
2.
Paragraph 3 of the statement is clearly drafted with bilateral relations only in mind. It seems to us that para. 4, if applied to international organisations, right go further then Dugono Melville (and I suspect some other hoodo of delegations,e.g. U.K. Delegation to BDC) would accent oc desirable in opening the vay for Hong Kong to ropresmt ito interests directly and through ito own officers. If ve are to meet Bugone's doubts on this score and also his views that thero should be flexibility about the arrangements to be applied in the case of international organisa- tions, I suggest that the statement might additionally be amended:-*
(a) to restrict paragrapho 3 and 4 to bilateral
discussions and nogotiatione;
(3) to provide that special (but unspecified) arrange-
ment will apply to the conduct of multilateral relations;
(0)
to indicate that the "general principles" formule tod in the rest of the statement are applicable in the context of both bilateral and multilateral relations.
ly proposed amendments are set out in paragraphs 9 end 10 of the attached draft of a letter to the Governor.
3. You will see that I have not proposed the restoration of the words "as appropriate" in pera.4 of the staterent (Carey's lotter of 12 February). We do not see that those words boat serve the purpose which Carey appears to have in mind i.e. to provide for the situation when considerations of U.K. commercial policy make it desirable for MG to take the lead in representing Hong Kong interests. (Para. 4 does not of course give to Hong Kong the responsibility "as of right" to determine the course and conduct of negotiations, as Čaroy succosts. It says merely that Hong Kong may exercise such responsibility in full consultation. and association with HMG) But we would be prepared to try on
W. Huchos, Esq., 0.B.,
Board of Trade,
1, Victoria Street,
London, S.V.1.
143T
RFF.
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CONFIDENTIAL