GRS 800
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
21
CONFIDENTIAL
TOP CO Q DISTA?
∙Hub 020/2 нив
STRY
23 MAR 1987
See
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1184
OF 24O9OOZ MARCH 87
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, LISBON
ROCK
SINO-PORTUGUESE AGREEMENT ON MACAU
1. THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT A JOINT DECLARATION ON MACAU WOULD BE
INITIALLED ON 26 MARCH HAS ATTRACTED CONSIDERABLE ATTENTION IN THE HONG KONG PRESS. ALTHOUGH DETAILS HAVE NOT YET BEEN ANNOUNCED, ATTENTION HAS FOCUSSED ON THE DATE FOR THE HANDOVER (20 DECEMBER
1999) AND POSSIBLE ARRANGEMENTS ON NATIONALITY INCLUDING THE RIGHTS
OF HOLDERS OF PORTUGUESE PASSPORTS.
2. THE AGREEMENT RAISES TWO IMMEDIATE PROBLEMS, A PUBLIC LINE AND
FUTURE CONTACTS WITH THE PORTUGUESE:
PUBLIC LINE
3. WE ARE LIKELY TO COME UNDER CONSIDERABLE PRESSURE TO COMMENT
FROM HERE AND IN PARTICULAR TO SPECULATE ON THE POSSIBLE
IMPLICATIONS FOR HONG KONG IN ANY PERCEIVED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MACAU AND HONG KONG AGREEMENTS. WE MUST OBVIOUSLY BE VERY CAREFUL
TO AVOID BOTH ANNOYING THE CHINESE AND/OR THE PORTUGUESE AND
PREJUDICING OUR POSITION IF THERE ARE ANY POINTS IN THE NEW
AGREEMENT WHICH WE EVENTUALLY WISH TO RAISE WITH THE CHINESE IN THE
HONG KONG CONTEXT. WE THEREFORE PROPOSE TO COMMENT AS FOLLOWS:
(A) WELCOME THE CONCLUSION OF THE AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE.
(B) EMPHASISE THAT IT IS A MATTER FOR THE CHINESE AND PORTUGUESE
GOVERNMENTS.
(C) IF ASKED ABOUT THE DISCREPANCY IN TIMING BETWEEN THE HONG KONG
AND MACAU AGREEMENTS, TO SAY WE SEE NO DIFFICULTY FOR HONG KONG
EITHER AT THE BEGINNING OR THE END OF THE SAR'S 50 YEAR PERIOD.
(D) ON NATIONALITY, WE SHOULD DECLINE TO BE DRAWN INTO COMPARISON
BETWEEN THE TWO AGREEMENTS. IN REPLY TO ANY CRITICISM OF THE
STATUS OF FUTURE BN(0) PASSPORT HOLDERS AS COMPARED WITH THE RIGHTS
OF MACANESE HOLDERS OF PORTUGUESE PASSPORTS WE SHOULD CONFINE
OURSELVES TO EMPHASISING GROWING INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTANCE OF THE
BN(0) PASSPORT AS AN EFFECTIVE TRAVEL DOCUMENT FOR HONG KONG
RESIDENTS.
(E) WE SHOULD NOT BE DRAWN FURTHER ON DETAIL AND SHOULD NOT
UNDERTAKE TO GIVE FURTHER COMMENTS LATER.
CONFIDENTIAL