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[ME 3ADL]
CONFIDENTIAL
MR RENTON'S VISIT TO HONG KONG (27-31 OCTOBER 1985)
25.
BACKGROUND BRIEF: CONSULATE GENERAL
Section XI of Annex I to the Joint Declaration states that establish a Consulate General in Hong Kong after 1 the physical
1.
the UK may
July 1997.
to We have already started
consider
arrangements.
2. The cost of buying an office building in central Hong Kong
for
big enough
residential
that
we
will
with the
necessary
We
estimate
office
for 150
staff
and
for 36
UK based
staff.
The
PUS
purposes together our
accommodation would be prohibitive.
accommodation need
residential accommodation therefore approached the Governor during his visit to Hong Kong in June to establish whether the Hong Kong Government might be on concessionary prepared
suitable building
to
grant US a
terms. The Governor suggested that HMS Tamar, Headquarters of suitable. In our view HMS British Forces in Hong Kong might be Tamar is much too large, and its military/imperial connotations would be unfortunate after 1997.
3.
Legal advice is that
it is reasonable for the Chinese to expect that the present and reversionary interests of the Crown to the PRC (or SAR) on 1 July in land in Hong Kong will
pass
1997, and that there is therefore no sure way of acquiring a
secure
title to representational property
Government without the cooperation of
a suitable
building
and
agreed
from the Hong Kong
of the PRC. Once we have
with the
terms
we will need
to
put
the
matter
to the
identified Hong Kong Government Chinese. Because of its present connotations and its future
suitability for
for the mooring of PRC naval vessels, we very much
even
doubt if
the Chinese would agree
if we wanted to.
to our
occupying HMS Tamar,
4.
The PUS will be writing to the Governor about this in due
There is no need
course.
need to raise subject with the HKG at this
stage.
CONFIDENTIAL