TNAG-0365-FCO40-411-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-international-organisations-1973 — Page 25

GPS 340

PRIORITY

CYPHER/CAT A

Гендра

FM HONG KONG 140345Z

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY No. 51

17 SEP 1973

HICK 2/1

173

LABT

MF.

!

POP CORK

TO PRIORITY FCO TELNO 1043 OF 14 SEPTEMBER INFO UKMIS NEW YORK

PEKING.

UKMIS NEW YORK TELEGRAM 868 (NOT TO PEKING).

DESIGNATION OF HONG KONG.

44

ly 25/9

WE CANNOT IMMEDIATELY TRACE THE NDP DOCUMENT UNDER REFERENCE,

AND WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR DETAILS OF IT.

2. THERE MAY BE SOMETHING OBJECTIONABLE OR UNNECESSARY ABOUT THE

REFERENCE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG IN THIS PARTICULAR CONTEXT.

IN WHICH CASE WE WOULD SEE NO PARTICULAR PROBLEM ABOUT THE PROPOSED

CHANGE.

3. BUT IT WOULD SEEM UNWISE TO ACCEPT THE CHINESE COMPLAINT AS A VALID GENERAL POINT. QUOTE GOVERNMENT UNQUOTE IS PLAIN ENGLISH FOR WHAT THE AUTHORITIES IN HONG KONG ARE, AND ITS USE WOULD NOT IN

ITSELF SEEM TO IMPLY ACCEPTANCE OF THE STATUS OF THE COLONY. BY

CONTRAST, HOWEVER, DENIAL OF SUCH A TITLE IN THE APPROPRIATE CONTEXT OF ANY REMOVAL OF IT FROM DOCUMENTS MIGHT DRAW ATTENTION TO THE

POSITION OF HONG KONG IN A WAY WHICH WE UNDERSTOOD THE CHINESE

THEMSELVES WISHED TO AVOID..

4. FURTHER MORE THE CHINESE THEMSELVES HAVE REFERRED TO THE HONG

KONG GOVERNMENT AS SUCH IN E.G. ACCOUNTS BY THE OFFICIAL CHINESE NEWS AGENCY OF THE OBSEQUIES OF CHANG SHIH-CHAO (PARAGRAPH 9 OF GEORGE'S LETTER TO DAVIES OF 13 JULY (NOT TO UKMIS NEW YORK)).

LOCALLY THE SHORTHAND QUOTE KANGFU UNQUOTE IS WIDELY USED FOR THE

HONG KONG GOVERNMENT EVEN IN NCNA ACCOUNTS.

4

5. WE WOULD HAVE NO OBJECTION IF UKMIS NEW YORK WERE REQUESTED TO

CLARIFY THE POSITION WITH THE CHINESE, MAKING THE POINT THAT WHILE

CONA DENTAL

/THE CHINESE.