TNAG-0848-FCO40-1058-Future-of-Hong-Kong-New-Territories-leases-1979 — Page 32

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SECRET

SECTION III

C.

Chinese interest in official representation in Hong Kong

DSR 11C

1.

During a meeting between the Governor of Hong Kong and the Chinese

Foreign Minister, Huang Hua, in Peking on 29 March, the latter described

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as an outstanding issue China's lack of an official representative in.

Hong Kong. Although this is an issue which the Chinese People's

Government (CPG) has raised a number of times since 1949 this was the

first reference at ministerial level for a number of years.

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responsibilities.

2. The issue is a complicated one. Because of China's claim that

Hong Kong is Chinese territory, the Hong Kong Government has feared that

acquir such a representative would seek to arrogate more than strictly diplomatic

Although the CPG has given assurances that their repre-

sentative in Hong Kong would not claim any executive function, but would

merely facilitate communication and discussion (on such practical matters

as air and rail communications or on the problems of immigration) between

the authorities in Guangzhou and Peking and the Government of Hong Kong,

they have at no point precisely defined the status that would be accorded

to a representative in Hong Kong. The Chinese proposals for the title

que para 55 € Flow) Commissioner or Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and

rejection of the title Consul-General, indicates the sort of problem that

exists, but sheds little light on its solution.

Antiquate

3. (In

In fact, channels of communication already exist between the Chinese

authorities in Peking and Guangzhou (Canton) and the Hong Kong Government

through the local office of the New China News Agency (NCNA). This is a

relationship that has been actively encouraged by the Governor of Hong Kong

since early in 1973 and the Director of NCNA, Wang Kuang, now performs,

albeit in an unrecognised and unofficial way, practically every role of a