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to be deemed to be a contracting party as prescribed in
GATT Article XXVI (5)(c), and therefore may, using the name
'Hong Kong, China', continue to be deemed to be a contracting
party to the GATT.
3.
By these declarations the British and Chinese
Governments have taken the necessary concrete steps envisaged
in paragraph 4 (A) of Annex II to the Joint Declaration to
secure the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's rights
and obligations under the GATT and the MFA in continuation
of Hong Kong's current status.
4.
As Hong Kong has for some years been playing an
autonomous role in the GATT and the MFA from within the
British delegation there will be little variation of substance
in our future role on being deemed to be contracting party
to the GATT. One change is that Hong Kong representatives
will now speak in Hong Kong's name, rather than as 'the
United Kingdom speaking for Hong Kong'. With this new status,
we shall, of course, continue to play our full part in support
of the basic principles and purposes of the GATT and in
defence of Hong Kong's rights thereunder.
The other difference
will be that we shall have to pay our share of the GATT
budget, which has hitherto been part of the UK's contribution
and borne out of UK funds. Funds for this purpose for the
current year have already been voted by the Finance Committee
of this Council.
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