CONFIDENTIAL
JOINT LIAISON GROUP
5. THE SECRETARY OF STATE SAID THAT THERE WAS PRESSURE IN THE
PARLIAMENT AND IN HONG KONG FOR THE HONG KONG PEOPLE TO BE
REPRESENTED ON THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP. OUR INTENTION WAS TO
HAVE ONLY OFFICIALS TAKING PART. THESE WOULD INCLUDE OFFICIALS
FROM THE HONG KONG GOVERMENT. OVER TIME SUCH OFFICIALS WOULD INCREASINGLY BE LOCAL PEOPLE FROM HONG KONG AND NOT EXPATRIATES
SINCE THESE WERE BEING PHASED OUT IN THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT.
6. WU SAID THAT THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP HAD TO BE CONFINEED
TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS. THE
HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AS SUCH COULD NOT BE REPRESENTED. (THE SECRETARY UF STATE REASSURED HIM THAT THIS WAS NOT OUR INTENTION: OFFICIALS
FROM THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD BE INCLUDED AS MEMBERS OF
THE BRITISH DELEGATION.) WU WENT ON TÜ SAY
THAT CHINESE NATIONALS COULD NOT BE MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH SIDE. AFTER FURTHER DISCUSSION HE SAID THAT IF THERE WAS A NEED TO
CONSULT CHINESE NATIONALS BECAUSE OF THEIR LOCAL KNOWLEDGE THEY
COULD BE MEMBERS OF AN EXPERT SUB-GROUP. THE SECRETARY OF STATE
EMPHASISED THAT THE IMPORTANT POINT WAS TO CHOOSE PEOPLE WHO
COULD DO THE WORK EFFECTIVELY. THE AGREEMENT WAS THAT EACH SIDE
WOULD APPOINT ITS OWN MEMBERS. HE SUGGESTED THAT THIS PROBLEM
COULD BE SOLVED AS WE WENT ALONG. WU AGREED.
REGISTRATION AT THE UN
7. THE SECRETARY OF STATE POINTED OUT THAT IT WAS OUR INVARIABLE
PRACTICE TO REGISTER INTERNTATIONAL AGREEMENTS AT THE U N UNDER
ARTICLE 102 OF THE UN CHARTER. HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE, IF HE AND WU WERE BOTH AT THE UNGA SESSION NEXT YEAR, FOR THEM TO REGISTER THE AGREEMENT JOINTLY. WU SAID THAT THE CHINESE HAD NOT
REGISTERED THEIR AGREEMENTS IN THE PAST BUT HE WAS PREPARED TO
CONSIDER THE IDEA.
NATIONALITY
3. THE SECRETARY OF STATE EXPLAINED THAT WE WOULD SHORTLY NEED TO
PRESENT THE BILL BEFORE PARLIAMENT FOR RATIFICATION OF THE
AGREEMENT. THIS BILL WOULD NEED TO DEFINE A NATIONALITY STATUS FOR
CURRENT BDTCS IN HONG KONG. THERE WERE TWO REQUIREMENTS. THE
FORMULA USED MUST MAKE CLEAR THAT THE NEW STATUS WAS A FORM OF BRITISH NATIONALITY, AND THAT THE NEW STATUS WAS UNIQUE TO FORMER GDTCS CONNECTED WITH HONG KONG. AFTER A GREAT DEAL OF DELIBERATION
WE HAD CONCLUDED THAT THE ONLY FORMULA WHICH PROPERLY MET THESE
Tou REQUIREMENTS WAS ''BRITISH NATIONALITY: HONG KONG **
*. THIS WOULD
NOT IMPLY ANY ACCEPTANCE BY CHINA OF DUAL NATIONALITY. NÜR
WOULD THERE BE ANY REFERENCE TO CHINESE NATIONALITY IN THE BRITISH
LAW.
CONFENTIAL
/ 9. wu