B
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
Mrs B W Vittery
International Branch
Nature Conservancy Council
Northminster House
Peterborough
PE1 1UA
Telephone 01-
{
MRE 26/393/1
RECEIV
26 JUL 1990
(4
PA
HI
Your reference
Our reference
CAMAAS
Date
13 July 1990
Taken
Dear Mrs Vittery
HONG KONG
Thank you for your letter of 21 May to Julian Evans. I am sorry it has taken so long to reply.
1.
2. You ask for some clarification as to whether China is likely to accept the commitments arising from international conventions which are currently applied to Hong Kong (as a Dependent Territory of the UK). You also ask about the continuance of existing legislation.
3.
Both of these issues are dealt with in some detail in the 1984 Sino British Joint Declaration, an international binding treaty which governs the future of Hong Kong, a copy of which I enclose. There is a provision in the Joint Declaration for those international agreements currently implemented in Hong Kong to remain implemented after 1997.even if the PRC is not a party. Likewise the Joint Declaration provides for Hong Kong to continue to partícipate in an appropriate capacity in those international organisations in which it already participates. There is also provision in the Joint Declaration for existing Hong Kong legislation to continue in force after 1997.
Ster
4. I believe that this should cover your concerns. There is no reason why those protected areas in Hong Kong currently safeguarded under international conventions or Hong Kong legislation should not continue to be safeguarded after 1997.
Yours sincerely
Christopher Sainty.
C Sainty
Hong Kong Department
CC:
Mr Evans, ESED
2