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INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
YOUR TELNO 105: HONG KONG LINKS WITH THE COMMONWEALTH AFTER 1997
THE HONG KONG BRANCH OF THE CPA HAD WRITTEN TO THE SECRETARY OF THE CPA SECRETARIAT EXPLAINING THAT IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO SUBMIT COMMENTS ON THE GREEN PAPER ON ''THE CPA AND THE FUTURE'' (WHICH RECOMMENDS, INTER ALIA, THE CREATION OF A NEW ASSOCIATE BRANCH STATUS FOR PLACES LIKE HONG KONG) BY THE END OF JANUARY BECAUSE OF THE RECENT RE-ELECTION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE HONG KONG BRANCH.
2. WE HAVE. BRIEFED THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT, WHO IS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE HONG KONG BRANCH, OF THE LIKELY STRONG ADVERSE REACTION FROM THE CHINESE TO ASSOCIATE BRANCH STATUS FOR HONG KONG AFTER 1997. HE IS WELL AWARE OF THE CHINESE SENSITIVITY ON THIS SUBJECT AND HAS AGREED NOT TO RUSH INTO ANY DECISION WITHOUT CONSULTING US. NEVERTHELESS, GIVEN THE PRESENCE OF LEGCO MEMBERS BELONGING TO THE UNITED DEMOCRATS OF HONG KONG ON THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (DR YEUNG SUM AND DR WONG CHEN-YA), IT IS BY NO MEANS CERTAIN THAT THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT WOULD BE ABLE TO STEER THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FROM TAKING ANY RADICAL POSITIONS.
3. FROM OUR PREVIOUS CONTACTS WITH MR DAVID TONKIN, THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE CPA SECRETARIAT, HE SEEMS WELL AWARE OF THE SOVEREIGNTY IMPLICATIONS OF THE PROPOSAL FOR ASSOCIATE BRANCH STATUS FOR HONG KONG AFTER 1997. BUT HE MAY NOT BE AWARE OF THE LIKELY CHINESE HOSTILITY TO THE IDEA. YOU MAY WISH TO CONSIDER BRIEFING MR TONKIN, AS WELL AS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF BRITISH INTERESTS ON THE WORKING PARTY, OF THE LIKELY CHINESE POSITION ON THIS PROPOSAL.
WILSON
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