CONFIDENTIAL
ESSENTIAL FACTS
Functions of Visa Office
1.
Establishment of a Chinese Visa Office in Hong Kong was
approved last year. This was agreed on the understanding that
the Office would not be any form of official Chinese representation
and would only handle visa work.
Political and other contacts
would continue to be handled by the New China News Agency (NCNA).
Privileges
2. The staff for the Office are now in Hong Kong. The Chinese
raised in Hong Kong the question of diplomatic privileges for their
staff. The Chinese Ambassador subsequently raised it with the
Governor when he met him in London on 6 August.
3.
We have already told the Chinese that the following privileges
can be granted:
a) exemption from tax of the revenues of the Visa Office
from visa fees;
b) exemption from tax of the salaries of the China-based
staff of the Office;
c) secure cypher communications;
d) secure courier service;
e) exemption of the documents, files and official premises of
the Office from search;
f) exemption of China-based staff and their dependents from
arrest and detention.
(a) to (d) can be granted unconditionally under the Governor's
prerogative; (e) and (f) can in practice be applied although
according to the strict letter of the law there could be circum-
stances in which the courts mightorder the arrest of a member of
the Visa Office.
CONFIDENTIAL
14.