OCMIAN 6717
CONFIDENTIAL
RR PEKIN
RR TOKYO
FM FCOLN TO HOKON
191700Z FEB
GRS 337
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO DESKBY 200100Z HONG KONG
TELNO 332
OF 19170OZ FEBRUARY 86
INFO ROUTINE PEKING, TOKYO
!
TOP COPY
CONFIDENTIAL
16717
1
AICK 291 4
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
20 FEB 1986
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
p;
HELMIPY Action faren
YOUR TELNOS 496 AND 504 AND PEKING TELNO 230: POSSIBLE CULTURAL
AGREEMENT BETWEEN HONG KONG AND JAPAN
1.
WE ARE NOT AS A GENERAL: RULE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT BILATERAL
CULTURAL AGREEMENTS SUCH AS DESCRIBED IN TUR, SINCE THEY CAN
OFTEN PROVE TO BE AN UNNECESSARILY COMPLICATED MEANS OF
FACILITATING EXCHANGES THAT CAN BETTER TAKE PLACE INFORMALLY AND
WITHOUT GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT. THIS WOULD SEEM TO APPLY IN THE
PRESENT CASE, WHERE WE WOULD THINK THAT WHATEVER CULTURAL
EXCHANGES THE JAPANESE HAVE IN MIND MIGHT EQUALLY BE ARRANGED BY
DIRECT CONTACT WITH APPROPRIATE HONG KONG ORGANISATIONS. WE
SHOULD ADD THAT HMG HAS ITSELF SUCH AN AGREEMENT WITH JAPAN.
AGREEMENT WAS SIGNED IN 1960, APPLIES TO THE METROPOLITAN UK ONLY, AND CONTAINS NO PROVISION FOR EXTENSION TO DEPENDENT
TERRITORIES. COPY FOR BOYD FOLLOWS BY NEXT BAG.
2.
THE
WE SHARE PEKING'S VIEW THAT PROVIDED THE CHINESE WERE
KEPT INFORMED OF DEVELOPMENTS, THEY WOULD BE UNLIKELY TO OBJECT
TO SUCH AN AGREEMENT (AND SECTION XI OF ANNEX I PROVIDES OF
COURSE FOR THE HONG KONG SARG TO CONCLUDE SUCH AGREEMENTS ON
ITS OWN AFTER 1997).
3.
IF, SUBJECT TO TOKYO'S VIEWS AND DESPITE THE RESERVATIONS
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