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HONG KONG FUTURE CONSULATE GENERAL: TRANSITION FROM THE Jefore the

BRITISH TRADE COMMISSION

1.

With the transfer of sovereignty to China on

1 July 1997, Britain's interests in Hong Kong will need to

be represented by a British Consulate General (BCG).

3.30 why

2. The design and construction programme for the building is already under way. The Schedule of Requirements (SOR)

has also defined the staffing requirement some 60 UK based

and 200 locally engaged staff. But the new post cannot emerge fully-formed in July 1997. The present British Trade

Commission (BTC) will need to be built up over the next five

years to take on the full range of extra responsibilities by

1997.

ebell 25 Jan

The Building

3. One constraint on increasing the size of the present BTC will be availability of office space. At present, they

occupy some 9,500 square feet in an office block, and have

just taken on another 3,400 square feet.

4.

The new building should be ready by late 1995 or early 1996, and will provide some 127,000 square feet of space, as

well as accommodation for the British Council. The major increases in staffing, in preparation for 1997, cannot

therefore take place until the new building is ready. But

the availability of the new building need not entirely

dictate our policy on expansion at the BTC meanwhile. In addition to the extra space at the BTC, more spare space is

also available in UKREP JLG's accommodation in St Johns

Building should we need it.

JM1ACK/1

JRB

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