GRS 350
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 2569
REQUIR
7 C NOV 1985
CONFIDENTIAL
INDEX
PA
OF 19094OZ NOVEMBER 35
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
200
HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE BRUSSELS
PARA. 3 OF YOUR TELMO 1636: HONG KONG AGREEMENT : ACCEPTABILITY
OF BN (0) PASSPORTS: FRG
IN INFORMAL DISCUSSION WITH SECRETARY FOR SECURITY YESTERDAY," THE GERMAN CONSUL-GENERAL SAID THAT SPEAKING PERSONALLY AND REPEATING WHAT HE HAD ALREADY SAID PUBLICLY IN HONG KONG, AS HIS GOVERNMENT RECOGNISED BDTC PASSPORTS HE SAW NO REASON WHY IT SHOULD
HE HAD NOT (NOT) RECOGNISE BN (0) PASSPORTS AT LEAST UNTIL 1997. SENT A COPY OF THE WHITE PAPER TO BONN AND HAD ADVISED HIS GOVERNMENT OF HIS VIEWS.
2. AS REGARDS THE SITUATION AFTER 1997, AS THERE WOULD BE A CHANGE OF SOVEREIGNTY, HE STRESSED THAT THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT'S RECOGNITION OF BN (0) PASSPORTS WOULD DEPEND ON WHETHER THE PASSPORTS WOULD INDICATE CLEARLY THE HOLDERS' RETUPNABILITY TO HONG KONG. HE EMPHASISED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PASSPORT HAVING AN ADEQUATE RIGHT OF ABODE ENDORSEMENT. HE ALSO ENQUIRED WHETHER RESIDENTS OF THE HONG KONG SAR WOULD BE ALLOWED TO HOLD TWO PASSPORTS: AN SAR PASSPORT AND A BN (0) PASSPORT. IN REPLY, BASED ON PARA. 13 OF PEKING TELNO 1514, WE SAID THAT THIS QUESTION HAD BEEN RESOLVED IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE JOINT DECLARATION SEMICOLON AND THAT SECTION XIV OF ANNEX I TO THE JOINT DECLARATION READ TOGETHER WITH THE CHINESE MEMORANDUM ASSOCIATED WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION MADE IT QUITE CLEAR THAT THE HOLDING OF A BN (0) PASSPORT WOULD NOT PRECLUDE THE HOLDING OF A TRAVEL DOCUMENT ISSUED BY THE HONG KONG SAR GOVERNMENT.
3. ON THE SUBJECT OF VISAS, HE THOUGHT HIS GOVERNMENT WOULD PROBABLY AGREE TO MULTIPLE ENTRY VISAS VALUED FOR ONE YEAR FOR BDTC PASSPORTS. THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY THAT HIS GOVERNMENT WOULD ALSO AGREE TO THEM FOR BM(0) PASSPORTS BUT WOULD PROBABLY REVIEW THE DECISION IF THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF AN EXODUS FROM HONG KONG.
CONFIDENTIAL
14
A
385