TNAG-1242-FCO40-1555-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 112

CODE 18-77

$80

Reference

581

SECRET

Mr frist - note above.

Mr Morris HKD (WH 305)

MKK040

RECEIVED IN REGIST

DOBR

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: REAPPRAISAL OF STRATEGY: CLK HONG KONG AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

22SEP 1983

1. Your minute of 5 September. This is of course a complex subject. In the following paragraphs I set out some information most of which has been provided by Miss Foulds in International Section, Research Department. If information is required on Hong Kong's position with regard to other international organisations, I should be grateful if you could let me have a note specifying the organisations concerned.

2. The latest (1983/84) edition of the Yearbook of International Organizations, edited by the Union of International Associations in Brussels, and the latest available (1982) edition of the United Nations Handbook, published by the New Zealand MFA, list Hong Kong as a "Member" of the following organisations:-

Asian Department Bank (ADB) "regional member"

Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

3. Hong Kong is also shown as an "associate member" of the International Maritime Organization (IMO); as a "correspondent member" of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO); and as a member of the World Meterological Organization (WMO) in accordance with the provisions of Article 3(d) of the WMO Convention which enables a territory maintaining its own Meterological Service to apply for membership through the State responsible for its international relations (relevant extract attached).

4. Certain other organisations are shown in the Yearbook of International Organizations as having dependent territories (other than Hong Kong) as associate members, eg the British East Caribbean Group is shown as an associate member of UNESCO and Macau as an associate member of the World Tourism Organization.

5. Hong Kong is a party to the Universal Postal Union's Convention by virtue of the fact that the UK has a declared, in accordance with Article 23 of the Convention, that its acceptance of the Acts of the Union covers all the territories for whose international relations it is responsible (relevant extracts attached) The dependencies of the United Kingdom (including Hong Kong) also had a seat in the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as Associate Members, under the terms of Article I(8), until 1973 when the Plenipotentiary Conference deprived them of a separate seat. The UK now signs ITU agreements on behalf of the UK and notifies approval of them separately on behalf of the dependencies.

6. It seems likely (although we cannot be certain without further extensive checking) that the formal position in most if not all other cases is that Hong Kong is represented by the UK and that where necessary Hong Kong representatives participate in the proceedings of organisations as members of UK delegations.

SECRET

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