OCMIAN 1260
CONFIDENTIAL
RR PEKIN
FM FCOLN TO BREMB
290915Z APR
GRS 745
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
CONFIDENTIAL
111/1
22
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
TO ROUTINE BRUSSELS
TELNO 118
OF 290915Z APRIL 87
INFO ROUTINE UKREP BRUSSELS, HONG KONG, PEKING
MY SECOND IPT: HONG KONG AND THE CCC
51260 1
1.
FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF A SPEAKING NOTE FOR THE APPROACH TO
THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE CCC:
BEGINS
MY CHINESE COLLEAGUE AND I HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED
TO APPROACH YOU TODAY TO SEEK YOUR FORMAL ADVICE ON A MATTER OF
IMPORTANCE TO BOTH OUR GOVERNMENTS. IT CONCERNS HONG KONG AND
ITS STATUS WITHIN THE CUSTOMS COOPERATION COUNCIL.
YOU ARE NO DOUBT AWARE THAT THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS
TOOK STEPS LAST YEAR TO DECLARE HONG KONG A SEPARATE CONTRACTING
PARTY TO THE GATT. IT HAD BEEN AGREED BETWEEN OUR TWO
GOVERNMENTS THAT SUCH STATUS WOULD BE COMMENSURATE WITH HONG
KONG'S STATUS, BEFORE AND AFTER 1997, AS A SEPARATE CUSTOMS
TERRITORY HAVING AUTONOMY IN ITS EXTERNAL COMMERCIAL RELATIONS.
HONG KONG DULY BECAME A SEPARATE GATT CONTRACTING PARTY ON 23
APRIL 1986, UNDER ARTICLE XXVI(5)C OF THE GATT.
OUR TWO GOVERNMENTS HAVE SUBSEQUENTLY DISCUSSED HONG KONG'S
PARTICIPATION IN THE CCC AND HAVE CONCLUDED THAT, IN THE LIGHT OF
THE SIMILARITY BETWEEN CERTAIN OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE GATT AND
1
CONFIDENTIAL