CONFIDENTIAL
012672 MDLIAN 7133
Hu13099/2
CONFIDENTIAL
FM UKDEL OECD PARIS
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 66
OF 070715Z JUNE 90
INFO PRIORIT HONG KONG UKREP JLG HONG KONG PEKING
YOUR TELNO 1062 TO HONG KONG: OECD MEMBERSHIP
SUMMARY
1. DISCUSSION OF POSSIBLE OECD ENLARGEMENT NOW OUT OF THE CLOSET.
BUT POSSIBLE HONG KONG MEMBERSHIP RAISES SPECIFIC POLITICAL
PROBLEMS. LOWER LEVEL OF ASSOCIATION MAY REDUCE THESE.
RECOMMENDATION THAT HONG KONG OFFICIALS EXPLORE OPTIONS WITH UKDEL/
OECD.
DETAIL
2.
PARA 9 OF TUR PRECISELY IDENTIFIES THE THREE MAIN PROBLEMS
WHICH THE MEMBERSHIP WILL SEE IN ANY PROPOSAL THAT HONG KONG
SHOULD JOIN THE OECD.
-
3. DISCUSSION AMONG MINISTERS AT LAST WEEK'S MINISTERIAL SUGGESTS
THAT THE OECD MEMBERSHIP IS NOW READY TO CONSIDER THE PRINCIPLE OF
ADMITTING NEW MEMBERS PROVIDED THAT THEY ACCEPT CERTAIN PRACTICAL
OBLIGATIONS AND THAT THEY CLEARLY SATISFY THE CRITERIA SET OUT IN THIS YEAR'S COMMUNIQUE PLURALIST DEMOCRACY, RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND A COMPETITIVE MARKET ECONOMY. (THE GENERALLY COOL
RESPONSE TO YUGOSLAVIA'S APPLICATION AT THE SAME MEETING STEMMED FROM THE FEELING THAT IT DID NOT YET MEET THESE CONDITIONS.)
NEVER- THELESS, NO-ONE SERIOUSLY DISSENTED FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL'S SUGGESTION THAT SOME EASTERN EUROPEANS MIGHT QUALIFY WITHIN 3-5 YEARS. EVENTUAL MEMBERSHIP FOR CERTAIN DAES (ESPECIALLY KOREA)
IS ALSO MORE OR LESS ACCEPTED AS THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION OF THE CURRENT OECD/DAE DIALOGUE, THOUGH KOREA ITSELF SEEMS TO BE THINKING ONLY OF A DATE IN THE MID-NINETIES, AND THE THREE ASEAN DAES ARE STILL PLAYING SHY.
4. BUT WHILE THE GENERAL CONCEPT OF ENLARGEMENT IS NOW OUT OF THE
CLOSET, THE NARROW ISSUE OF HONG-KONG'S POSSIBLE MEMBERSHIP IS COLOURED BY SPECIFIC POLITICAL FACTORS, IN PARTICULAR BY THE
RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA. IT IS OECD MEMBERS' VIEWS ON HOW THIS MIGHT
PLAY VIS A VIS PEKING THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY DECIDE THEIR RESPONSE TO
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