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that the US should continue, after 1997, to treat Hong Kong as a separate territory in US law.
The Bill also requires the Administration to report 6 months after the enactment of the Bill, and every 12 months thereafter, on the degree to which the Joint Declaration is being implemented in Hong Kong, and the state of US/Hong Kong ties.
4.
McConnell's staffers tell me that his intention is to ensure that Hong Kong remains a focus of Congressional attention. They had tried to draft a Bill which would achieve this while not unduly offending the Chinese, or ourselves, or be immediately rejected by the State Department. His staffers pointed out that much of the language in the Bill was "sense of the Congress" and not, therefore, binding on the Administration. Nevertheless, they said it reflected serious concern about China's trustworthiness in fulfilling its obligations under the Joint Declaration.
Comment
5.
There has been growing Congressional interest in Hong Kong over the past year: special immigration arrangements were made for Hong Kong in the 1990 Immigration Act, Hong Kong featured largely in the debate on MFN for China, and the recent LEGCO elections have attracted further attention. A number of staffers have told me that there is much sympathy on the Hill with the view that the best way to ensure that the Chinese fulfil their obligations after 1997 is to demonstrate clear Congressional interest in Hong Kong. There is also, of course, considerable US commercial interests at stake. According to McConnell, 900 US firms maintain offices there, US banks have $99 billion deposited there, and the total US investment amounts to $7 billion.
6.
McConnell hopes he has drafted an unpolemical Bill which will help, rather than complicate, Hong Kong's position. One of the risks he runs, however, is that it might be hijacked by those who wish to use it as a vehicle for attacking China rather than protecting Hong Kong. But he hopes to avoid this by sticking closely to the terms of the Joint Declaration. The first opportunity to judge its reception in the Senate will be how it fares in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. No date has yet been set for the hearings and, frankly, it is unlikely to be one of the Committee's priorities.
Yous tren
Sybran
PATTISON
CC:
Chancery, Hong Kong
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