HKK 6/18
7 1969.
GRS 700
CONFIDENTIAL
DESKBY FCO 0509OOZ
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 05025OZ JUN 85
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1071 OF 5 JUNE
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
FOLLOWING FOR SIR EDWARD YOUDE.
87) FCO TELNO 766 : HONG KONG AND THE GATT.
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fieto att
BECAUSE OF THE GROWING COMPLEXITY OF HONG KONG'S TRADE, WAS ACCEPTED IN THE LATE SIXTIES THAT, AS A MATTER OF PRACTICAL CONVENIENCE, THE MANAGEMENT OF HONG KONG'S COMMERCIAL RELATIONS IN RESPECT OF TEXTILES SHOULD BE CONDUCTED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. FCO TELNO 580 OF 29 AUGUST 1969 REFERS.
2. THAT SAME TELEGRAM LAID DOWN THE FOLLOWING GUIDING
PRINCIPLES RELATING TO THE CONDUCT OF HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL COMMERCIAL RELATIONS IN FIELDS BEYOND TEXTILES:
(A) IN MATTERS NOT AFFECTING CONSIDERATIONS OF BRITISH INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL POLICY, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SHOULD DETERMINE THE COURSE OF, AND WHERE PRACTICABLE BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, THE CONDUCT OF HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL COMMERCIAL RELATIONS: BUT
(B) WHERE CONSIDERATIONS OF BRITISH INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL POLICY
AND ARE INVOLVED, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT MAY, AS APPROPRIATE, IN FULL CONSULTATION AND ASSOCIATION WITH HMG, EXERCISE A SIMILAR RESPONSIBILITY, ACTING WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF POLICIES AGREED WITH HMG AND IN CONFORMITY WITH TREATY OBLIGATIONS.
3. WHILE THERE HAS BEEN NO FURTHER FORMAL DEVOLUTION OF AUTHORITY ONTO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, SINCE UK ACCESSION TO THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES IN 1973, HONG KONG REPRESENTATIVES AT MEETINGS OF THE GATT AND ITS VARIOUS COMMITTEES HAVE NOT BEEN REQUIRED TO CONSULT, MUCH LESS COORDINATE, THEIR LINES ON GATT MATTERS WITH UK DELEGATIONS TO SUCH MEETINGS. THERE WERE OCCASIONS ON WHICH HONG KONG TOOK A POSITION DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE EEC AND, THEREFORE, BY IMPLICATION THE UK. EXAMPLES OF THIS (NEXT TWO WORD UNDERLINED) DE FACTO AUTONOMY IN THE CONDUCT OF HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL COMMERCIAL RELATIONS INCLUDE:
(A) AT THE GATT COUNCIL MEETING OF 14 MARCH 1978 KOREA COMPLAINED ABOUT THE UNILATERAL IMPORT ACTION TAKEN BY THE EEC ON BEHALF OF UK ON IMPORTS OF PORTABLE MONOCHROME RECEIVERS FROM KOREA. (NEXT TWO WORDS UNDERLINED)
HONG KONG INTERVENED TO SUPPORT KOREA.
(B) IN 1980, IN BOTH THE GATT SUB-COMMITTEE ON PROTECTIVE MEASURES AND THE ANNUAL CONTRACTING PARTIES SESSION, HONG KONG COMMENTED
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