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to explain his intentions to the Chinese.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT REPORT ON HONG KONG/EC RELATIONS
4. At its meeting on 30 April 1991 the committee on
External Economic Relations of the European Parliament
decided to draw up a report on the ecomomic and commercial
relations between the EC and Hong Kong. The committee considered the draft report on 30 January and 23 February this year.
5. In brief the report supports the 1984 Joint Declaration
and asks the Chinese government to work for the creation of
a general climate of confidence in Hong Kong's future. It
stresses the importance of China's unconditional respect for human rights in Hong Kong up to and after 1997. The report asserts that after 1 July 1997 relations with Hong Kong will
no longer be the sole responsibility of one member state but
of the European community as a whole. The community should therefore establish a delegation in Hong Kong as soon as
possible.
The
6. The Chinese Ambassador expressed his at this report to
Lord Caithness at a meeting on 31 March. Lord Caithness
replied that we recognised that there were a number of
comments in the report that China would not accept.
Ambassador said that China did not like the
'internationalisation' of Hong Kong and resented outside
inteference in a territory which would become part of China
after 1 July 1997. The Chinese Government felt that the
report would create tensions between the EC and China. He
therefore urged us to do what we could with our European
friends to stop the report. Lord Caithness replied that the British Government had no control over MEPS and in any case
the report would not lead to any action by the community. Unlike the McConnell Bill, for example, there was no
reporting requirement. Lord Caithness advised the
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