:
9. SCHEDULE
(a) PARAGRAPH FOUR:
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DIPLOMATIC PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES FOR THE
JOINT LAISION GROUP
NOTES ON "SCHEDULE STAND PART"
Paragraph 4 of the Schedule accords diplomatic privileges and immunities to the Chinese members of the Joint Liaison Group. This is designed to meet our obligation under Annex II to the Joint Delcaration which provides for the creation of a Joint Liaison Group of five British and five Chinese members to meet in London, Peking and Hong Kong. Paragraph 10 of that Annex provides that "members of the Joint Liaison Group shall enjoy diplomatic privileges immunities as appropriate when in the three locations".
and
This section of the Bill therefore accords diplomatic privileges and immunities to the five Chinese members of the group who attend meetings of the Group in London (but not to supporting staff or "experts" attending meetings of the Group or sub-Groups). Existing legislation would
cover this rather unusual category of representative and we therefore need to legislate specifically to cover their case.
Under this paragraph the five Chinese members of the Group will enjoy all the normal privileges and immunities enjoyed by diplomats attached to an Embassy in London. The principle privileges and immunities concerned will be:
personal inviolability.
arrest or detention;
they will not be liable to any form of
inviolability of residence;
immunity from the criminal and civil jurisidction of the course, except were waived;
and exemption from taxation and customs duties.
Hong Kong will need to legislate separately to provide privileges and immunities in Hong Kong for Chinese members of the Group until
1997. Appropriate measures will have to be taken from the British
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