TNAG-0510-FCO40-575-Registration-of-merchant-shipping-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 106

· DELI

from John Archer

RECEIVED P REGISTRY No. 51

Reference...

Непоросе

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Shipping

Peter Thomson PS. Aerospace

-8 JAN 1974 HK: REGISTER OF SHIPPING

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The possibility which you raised of giving Hong Kong

people independence in shipping matters has been

given consideration by Marine Division in consultation With the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. As indicated in my minute of 20 December the FCO are unable to agree to the proposal and there are several rather basic objections to it:

C. The UK, has and will retain the power of disallowance of distance and all Hos Koy bus. It would be possible how hooked to enact the

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and freedom stardoods

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but the UK, would

have to signify its non- disallowance of those laws.

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because the Peoples Republic of China claim that Hong Kong is an integral part of China]the embargo on the amount of consti- tutional changes necessary to give the Colony such independence would involve diplomatic problems of a politically un- acceptable nature.

b. because Hong Kong is a Colony the UK is responsible for the territory's inter- national relations. We have to answer for Hong Kong on shipping matters in mco and elsewhere and if a Hong Kong ship were involved in an international incident the UK could be called to account. To give the Colony independence in shipping matters would relieve us of control over Hong Kong ships without releasing us of responsibility for them.

c. at present the UK Government enjoys the powers of disallowance over all Hong Kong Legislation and to concede this right in relation to shipping matters could set a precedent which would lead to pressure for similar independence in other matters. matters.

d.

Purely from the marine safety point of view it would in any case be highly undesi- rable to give Hong Kong independence in shipping matters unless we were convinced that the Colony could without assistance call upon the professional experience and administrative resources for the maintenance and safety standards of a gradually expanding fleet. Since Hong Kong has great difficulty in recruiting enough qualified staff to cope with its existing small fleet it is difficult to argue that it could.

e.

the only flag internationally recognised for Hong Kong ships outside colonial waters is the red ensign. Confusion would result if Hong Kong ships flying the ensign was subject to conditions radically different from those applying from other ships flying the same flag.

The above arguments taken together seem to amount to

a rather strong case for pursuing the line already

/taken

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