ANOTHER DOCUMENT. IF AN IDENTITY CARD WERE NEEDED AS WELL, WHAT VALUE WAS THE PASSPORT? GALSWORTHY POINTED OUT THAT IT WOULD STILL CONFER BRITISH CONSULAR PROTECTION IN THIRD COUNTRIES AND THAT WE HOPED IT WOULD AVOID VISA REQUIREMENTS WHICH MIGHT BE IMPOSED ON CHINESE SAR PASSPORT HOLDERS. (THIS POINT WAS FURTHER DISCUSSED AFTER MR. RENTON HAD LEFT THE MEETING. ME POINTED OUT THAT THE WORDING OF THE RIGHT OF ABODE ENDORSEMENT, WHICH WE HAD ALREADY PUT FORWARD TO THE CHINESE AFTER CONSULTING THE COUNCIL, WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION, WHEREAS AN ENDORSEMENT REFERRING DIRECTLY TO THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG WOULD NOT BE. WE ALSO EXPLAINED, IN ANSWER TO A FURTHER POINT RAISED BY SIR S.Y. CHUNG, THAT THE CHINESE HAD MADE CLEAR DURING THE NEGOTIATIONS THAT THEY WOULD NOT WISH THE SAR GOVERNMENT TO ENDORSE BNCO) PASSPORTS
AFTER 1997.)
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES
10. SIR S.Y. CHUNG SAID EXCO WAS GRATEFUL FOR HMG'S ASSISTANCE DUT FELT THAT MORE SHOULD BE DONE. HE WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT THE COUNCIL'S EARLIER PROPOSAL THAT THE UK SHOULD ACCEPT 50 VR'S A MONTH FROM HONG KONG HAD BEEN IGNORED BY HMG. MR. RENTON SAID REFUCEES WERE A WORLDWIDE PROBLEM. THERE WERE THREE MILLION AFGHAN REFUGEES IN PAKISTAN, 1.3 MILLION ETHIOPIANS IN SUDAN, AND SON ON. HMG COULD NOT LOOK AT VR'S IN HONG KONG IN ISOLATION. SIR S.Y. CHUNG SAID HMG HAD RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HONG KONG: AND THE SELECT COMMITTEE HAD BEEN CRITICAL OF OUR CLOSED CAMPS. MR. RENTON SAID HE HAD SPOKEN PUBLICLY ON THE PREVIOUS DAY IN SUPPORT OF THE CONTINUATION OF THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY IN PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES.
GATT
11. MR. RENTON SAID THAT, BEARING IN MIND CHINESE SENSITIVITY ABOUT SOVEREIGNTY, IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO TAKE THE CHINESE VERY CAREFULLY THROUGH OUR PROPOSALS ON THE METHOD OF SECURING HONG KONG'S CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN THE GATT. IT MIGHT NOT BE POSSIBLE TO RESOLVE THE QUESTION AT THE NEXT JLG MEETING. BUT THERE WAS NO QUESTION BUT THAT HONG KONG WOULD CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE
GATT AFTER 1997.
12.
YOUDE
LIMITED
HKD
FED
PS/MR RENTON
SIR W HARDING MR WILSON
-3 CONFIDENTIAL
THIS IS A COPY
THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN
CLOSED UNDER
FOI EXEMPTION NO. 2761)
(262)