GRPS 410
PRIORITY
CYPHER/CAT A
LAST
REF.
N
CONFIDENTIAL
RECEIVED IN
REGISTRY No.52
FM HONG KONG 180055Z
18 FEB1974
19
29
TOP COPY
CONFIDENTIAL
1JKK 2 ||
TO PRIORITY FCO TELNO 219 OF 18TH FEBRUARY, 1974. INFO PRIORITY UKMIS NEW YORK, UKMIS GENEVA AND PEKING,
DAVIES'S LETTER OF 6 FEBRUARY TO MACRAE (NOT COPIED TO
PEKING),
(12)
HONG KONG AND THE UNITED NATIONS.
FOR PRACTICAL AS WELL AS POLITICAL REASONS, WE DO NOT LIKE THE PHRASE 'COUNTRY OR REGION'' AS REQUESTED BY THE CHINESE IN CONTEXTS REFERRING TO HONG KONG.
2. THE TERM ''REGION'' IS FREQUENTLY APPLIED IN A UN CONTEXT TO AN AREA LARGER THAN A COUNTRY. E/CN.7/560 ENCLOSED WITH REFERENCE LETTER IS A CASE IN POINT: IN IT THE WORLD IS DIVIDED INTO REGIONS FOR PURPOSES OF ANALYSIZING THE NARCOTICS PROBLEM. IF WE ACCEPT ''COUNTRIES AND REGIONS'' WHEN REFERRING TO HONG KONG WE SHALL END UP WITH THE GIBBERISH ''REGIONS AND COUNTRIES AND REGIONS''.
3. PRESUMABLY THE CHINESE LIKE 'COUNTRIES AND REGIONS' BECAUSE THE LATTER CAN ALSO REFER TO A PART OF A COUNTRY, THUS IMPLYING THAT HONG KONG IS PART OF CHINA. INDEED THEIR
STOCK DESCRIPTION IS THE REGION OF HONG KONG''. ALTHOUGH WE RECOGNISE THAT WE WOULD NOT BE GIVING ANYTHING AWAY FROM A LEGAL VIEWPOINT BY ACCEPTING THE CHINESE PHRASE, MANY PEOPLE WOULD PERHAPS THINK THAT BY ACCEPTING WE WERE IMPLICITLY GIVING CREDENCE TO THE CHINESE VIEW ON HONG KONG, PARTICULARLY IN VIEW OF THE LINGUISTIC NONSENSE WHICH THE PHRASE WOULD INVOLVE AND WHICH WOULD BE EVIDENT TO ALL.
CONFIDENTIAL
14.
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