CONFIDENTIAL
Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications Postal Department
Waterloo Bridge House Waterloo Road London SE1 8UA
Telex 261969 (Minpostel Ldn) Telegrams Postmin London SE1
Telephone 01-928 7878 ext7832
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W N Wenban-Smith Esq
UN Department
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
LONDON
SW1
1
Dean on Winban Smith
HONG KONG AND UN BODIES
Your reference
UM 53/1 Our reference OPB/B/334
Date
21 March 1973
To answer the questions posed in your letter of 6 March:-
a.
Hong Kong, like other members of the Ensemble, is invited by FCO to say whether it wishes to participate in Congresses of the Universal Postal Union (UFU) or whether it prefers to be represented by the British Delegation. Congresses take place approximately every 5 years in different countries, depending upon which member-country is acting as host. The last Congress was in Tokyo 1969 and the next is in Lausanne in 1974.
At the next Congress, Hong Kong proposes to send one postal expert to be included in the UK delegation (as in 1969). This is, of course, a matter for consideration by Communications Department and, doubtless, Hong Kong and Far Fast Department also.
At Congress the United Kingdom and Ensemble (Overseas Territories for whose international relations the UK Government is responsible) are entitled to one vote each. As a member of the Ensemble and contributor to the general expenses of the UPU Hong Kong is entitled to express an opinion on UPU matters, provided that no dissenting opinion is expressed direct to the Headquarters of the UPU or in Congress.
b.
decision
"China" has been a member of the UPU since 1966, but until April 1972 was represented by the Government of Taiwan. Following on the United Nations in 1971 that China should be represented in that body by the People's Republic of China (Peking), the Executive Council of the UPU consulted member administrations on the position of Chinese membership in the UPU. In April 1972 members of the UPU were asked to vote on whether "the resolution of the UN General Assembly No 2758 (xxvi of 25 October 1971) should be applied
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to the UPU". The majority of countries voted in favour, as a result of which the People's Republic of China replaced the Government of Taiwan in the UPU as the representative of "China".
C.
HMG could represent Hong Kong's interests and views on UPU matters at the UPU Congress without cignificantly prejudicing Hong Kong's interests, but since it is proposed to have an expert from Hong Kong at the next Congress in 1974 simply as an "attached expert" no problems should arise.
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CONFIDENTIAL