VI.
CONFIDENTIAL
SIR Y K PAO'S CHEVENING WEEKEND 15-16 MARCH 1986
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HONG KONG: SHIPPING
Background
Proposals for a Hong Kong Register of Shipping
1.
This
Annex 1 of the Joint Declaration provides that the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region "shall
"shall continue to maintain a shipping
register ...". In order to ensure a smooth transition we and Hong Kong propose to replace by 1990 the present arrangement (under which Hong Kong, like other dependent territories, is a British port of registry) with a separate and autonomous Hong Kong register. is important both for political reasons (a viable register will help
maintain confidence in Hong Kong and further enhance its autonomy
after 1997) and for commercial ones: 10% of the world's merchant
fleet i s beneficially owned in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong
Government hope that the new register will attract some of the 89%
of Hong Kong owned ships which are registered under non-UK flags.
2.
n May 1985, the Hong Kong Government published a consultative
document containing proposals for such a register. Comments have
been received from Hong Kong shipping and related interests, and
Hong Kong
since developed proposals which
January.
have
EXCO approved
in
3.
The Embassy
in Peking gave the Chinese an advance copy of the consultative document. We gave the Chinese in February more fomal proposals to allow discussion at third JLG, 11-14 March.
CONFIDENTIAL