TNAG-1097-FCO40-1347-Chinese-visa-office-in-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 178

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HER 349

RECOPIED 170 M NAPPY NO. 151

1 1 MAR 1981

DECK OFFICER

FM PEKING 0207122 MAR 81

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TO PRIORITY FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 118 OF 2/3

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INFO SAVING HONG KONG

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PA

41.3.

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6

FCO TELNO 73: CHINESE VISA OFFICE IN HONG KONG.

1.

WHEN HEAD OF CHANCERY CALLED AT MFA, AT LATTER'S REQUEST, ON 27 FEBRUARY, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR CONSULAR AFFAIRS, MRS XU HAN BING, READ FROM A HANDWRITTEN STATEMENT. SHE SAID THAT IT HAD BEEN ORALLY AGREED BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND CHINESE AUTHORITIES IN AUGUST 1979 THAT A CHINESE VISA OFFICE SHOULD BE SET UP IN HONG KONG. THE OFFICE WOULD ENJOY DIPLOMATIC X PRIVILEGES AND AMENITIES, AND ITS STAFF WOULD HOLD DIPLOMATIC PASSPORTS. WHEN THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE AND HIS STAFF HAD ARRIVED IN HONG KONG IN MAY 1980, THE BRITISH AUTHORITIES HAD DENIED THAT THERE HAD BEEN AN AGREEMENT ABOUT DIPLOMATIC PRIVILEGES, THUS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE VISA OFFICE HAD BEEN DELAYED.

2. MRS XU SAID THAT ON THE BASIS OF THE GOOD RELATIONS BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA AND OF THE GROWING LINKS BETWEEN MAINLAND CHINA AND HONG KONG, THE TWO SIDES HAD SINCE HAD CONTACTS IN HONG KONG AND LONDON. THE PROGRESS MADE IN THOSE DISCUSSIONS HAD DEMONSTRATED BOTH SIDES' SINCERE WISH TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. CERTAIN DIFFERENCES STILL REMAINED. AFTER REFERRING TO THE MEMORANDUM THE HEAD OF HONG KONG AND GENERAL DEPARTMENT HAD HANDED OVER TO MR LIANG GANG OF THE CHINESE EMBASSY IN LONDON ON 18 DECEMBER LAST, MRS XU CLAIMED THAT CLIFT HAD SAID THAT THE BRITISH AUTHORITIES IN LONDON AND HONG

KONG LOOKED FAVOURABLY IN PRINCIPLE ON THE EARLY ESTABLISH MENT OF THE VISA OFFICE. THE CHINESE SIDE SHARED THAT WISH AND, IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE PROGRESS IN THE NEGOTIATIONS, HAD PREPARED A NEW DRAFT MEMORANDUM FOR HMG'S CONSIDERATION, SHE SAID THAT THE MFA HAD DECIDED TO TRANSFER THE TALKS TO PEKING, IN THE HOPE THAT THIS WOULD EXPEDITE THEIR SUCCESS.

3.

IN HANDING OVER THE DRAFT MEMORANDUM (TEXT IN MIFT), MRS XU MADE THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS ON IT, AND ON THE FCO MEMORANDUM DATED 15 DECEMBER 1980:

MFA MEMORANDUM

ник 244 13 1980

57

4. PARA 11) POINTS A-D, ARE THE SAME AS IN THE BRITISH

MEMORANDUM OF 15 DECEMBER,

ник

HKR 349/333

1980

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