Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1
Telephone 01- 930 8440
File
(167
Mrs J Way
7 St Richards Road
Crowborough
Sussex
LAST
152
Your reference
Our reference HKK7/1
Date
22 July 1974
REF.
You wrote to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 13 July about the import of wild life from China into Hong Kong.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Government of Hong Kong have been examining with care what is being done and should be done to deal with this difficult and complex problem.
3
Hong Kong is, of course, predominantly a Chinese society.
The Hong Kong Government do not seek to dictate to their people what they should or should not eat, prpvided that the animals and birds are humly treated and killed, and that internationally_accepted restrict on trade in endangered species are observed. The Hong Kong Government are, however, well aware of the problems which arise from the witlife trade and have recently passed further legislation and taken other measures to deal with them.
1.
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As far as endangered species are concerned, the Hong Kong Government have already banned, as from 1 January 1974, the importation of threatened species listed in Appendix 1 to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. As for. potentially endangered species, such as those in Appendix II of the Convention, the decision on whether they were in fact endanger would be, under the Convention, for the Chinese Government. Our Amb ador in Peking has therefore raised the problem with the Chinese authorities. The Chinese Government already pay great attention to the protion of their own wildlife resources, and they have now undertaken to into this question.
There is the further problem of the condition of the animals and irds when imported, and their treatment within Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Government have enacted Regulations which impose strict control the trade in live animals and birds and which lay down strict cards which will have to be metbefore any licence is issued to traders, These requirements include high standards of animal housing, man oment and feeding and the segregation of sick, vicious or imcompatibl animals and birds whilst they are in a trader's care. Hawking! animals and birds is also now illegal. I enclose a copy of the dode
of Conduct issued under these Regulations.
13.1