TNAG-0365-FCO40-411-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-international-organisations-1973 — Page 42

UM 53/1

Mr Farsons

Copy to:-

96

المسلة

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The Goodfellow ra Woldon

7.

see attached minte.

CONFIDENTIAL

Any comments

please.

PreKelly 718

Mr Stuart SKIOD Kisa Kelly MIOD Mr Evans YED

HONG KONG AND THEN BODIES

PROBLEM

1. After the removal of Hong Kong from the list of territories to

which the Declaration on Decolonisation applies, due to the Chinese

objection to any implication that Hong Kong is a separate country, and

with Peking taking up the Chinese seat on the various UN bodies, it

appears that there will be more frequent occasions on which the

Chinese may raise the question of the status of representation of Hong

Kong in certain UN bodies, we wish to avoid needless political

confrontation with China, while at the same time not allowing our

efforts to avoid provoking the Chinese to prejudice the essential

interests of Hong Kong.

BACKGROUND

2. As Hong Kong is not represented as a separate entity in the UN

General Assembly, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, UNCTAD, UNIDO,

UNDF, and the Technical Maritime Conference, the question of status

or representation does not apply in these bodies.

3. On those bodies where Hong Kong is not separately represented, a

satisfactory solution to the problem, where their interests are

similar to whitehalls, is for the Hong Konginterest to be

represented in the UN bodies under the umbrella of the UK delegation.

/The ....

CONFIDENTIAL