GRS 531
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FM PEKING
TO DESKBY 12090OZ FCO
TELNO 1091
OF 12074OZ JUNE 87
川
}
54
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TOP COPY Q DIST ?
INFO DESKBY 12090OZ BRUSSELS
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG AND UKREP BRUSSELS
YOUR TELNO'S 562 AND 1570, HONG KONG TELNO 2221 AND MIFT:
HONG KONG AND THE CCC
1. PIGOTT TOOK ACTION ON FIRST TUR WITH LIN ZHIYING AND WANG WEIYANG ON 11 JUNE. HE DESCRIBED THE CCC'S RESPONSE TO HMA BRUSSELS' DEMARCHE (BRUSSELS TELNO 194), THE ACTION TAKEN BY HMA BRUSSELS AS DESCRIBED IN BRUSSELS TELNO 195, AND LEFT A COPY OF HIS
SPEAKING NOTE WITH LIN.
2. WANG SAID THE CHINESE SIDE HAD RECEIVED A REPORT FROM THEIR AMBASSADOR IN BRUSSELS DESCRIBING THE CCC'S RESPONSE IN THE SAME TERMS. HE SAID THAT THE CCC'S RESPONSE HAD PROMTED THE CHINESE SIDE
TO CONSIDER THREE POINTS:
()A) THE QUESTION OF WHETHER A TWO THIRDS MAJORITY VOTE ON HONG KONG'S MEMBERSHIP OF THE CCC WOULD BE REQUIRED HAD NOT BEEN CLEARLY ANSWERED BY THE CCC. (SPEAKING PERSONALLY, PIGOTT SAID THE CCC SECRETARIAT DID INDEED SEEM, AT THIS STAGE, TO BE UNCLEAR ON THIS
ASPECT).
(B) IT WAS NOT CLEAR HOW, OR WHETHER, THE POLICY COMMISSION WOULD REACH A CONSENSUS ON THIS QUESTION. IF ONE OR TWO MEMBERS HAD RESERVATIONS, PRESUMABLY A CONSENSUS WOULD NOT BE REACHED. FOR EXAMPLE, IF INDIA WERE A MEMBER, AND IN THE LIGHGT OF INDIA'S RESERVATIONS OVER HONG KONGS'S NEW STATUS IN THE GATT, A RESERVATION MIGHT WELL BE LODGED IN THIS CASE. THE CHINESE SIDE DID NOT HAVE AN UP TO DATE LIST OF MEMBERS OF THIS COMMISSIOIN (PIGOTT UNDERTOOK TO FIND OUT THE CURRENT COMPOSITIOIN OF THE COMMISSION AND TO PASS THIS
INFORMATION ON TO WANG GRATEFUL IF BRUSSELS COULD LET US HAVE
DETAILS).
(C) WANG ASSUMED THAT THE HEAD OF THE UK AND CHINESE CCC DELEGATIONS
WOULD HAVE TO PUT FORWARD OUR GOVERNMENT'S VIEWS AT THE OTTAWA MEETING. HE WONDERED HOW THIS WOULD HAPPEN. (PIGOTT, SPEAKING PERSONALLY, SAID THAT HE ASSUMED THAT BOTH SIDES WOULD HAVE TO ISSUE INSTRUCTIONS SHORTLY TO THEIR RESPECTIVE HEADS OF DELEGATION ON HOW
LOCALLY TO CO-ORDINATE ACTION ON THIS).
3. WANG SAID THAT TIME WAS NOW SHORT. WE WERE NOT AWARE IF ANY AND, IF SO, WHICH, COUNTRIES MIGHT HAVE RESERVATIONS ABOUT OUR PROPOSAL. UNLIKE THE CASE IN THE GATT EXERCISE, WE NOW HAD NO TIME TO CONDUCT A LOBBYING EXERCISE. PIGOTT EXPRESSED UNDERSTANDING OF THIS CONCERN
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