T MON
TXL 395/3
Mr
Zaul
Mo Map Se
Ms
pa
Hong Kong Department
9317
2/1
CONFIDENTIAL
HKB 395/1
RECEIVED IN RE
10 JUL 1990
17
From Mr Hervey Date 21 June 1990
cc PS/PUS
Mr McLaren
Mr Burns
HONG KONG HONOURS
1.
With reference to Mr McLaren's minute of 18 June, you may like to know that when Sir D Wilson called on us in July '87 to discuss honours policy for Hong Kong, his thoughts were very much in terms of increasing rather than reducing the use of honours there as 1997 approached. Indeed, at that time he was seriously considering making a bid for an increased quota of honours for Hong Kong. This latter idea appears to have withered away in the intervening period and Sir D Wilson's views may have evolved in a different direction now. There has however been no falling off so far in the use made by Hong Kong of their existing quota and it is our impression that Sir D Wilson continues to set considerable store by Hong Kong's access to honours.
2. The Senior Trade Commissioner has, of course, been able for several years to submit his own recommendations for honours in the business/commercial sphere, after clearance with the Governor.. There is certainly no reason why our Consul General should not submit recommendations for services to British interests after 1997. But after the change we would expect to have to treat Hong Kong Chinese in the same way as other candidates for honorary awards and seek prior approval in each case from the Chinese Government. At present awards to those in Hong Kong who remain Chinese citizens are treated here as honorary up to a point. They are not published in the London Gazette and are registered as honorary by the Central Chancery. But they are not cleared with the Chinese.
3.
I should also mention that we have recently had a very tentative enquiry from Air Commodore Warrington, the Director of Protocol for the Hong Kong Government, about the possibility of introducing a local honours system for use after 1997, to which we have sent a discouraging reply.
for
CONFIDENTIAL
RBR Hervey