(D)
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·
a
In the unlikely event that the Chinese put on record their own
view of Hong Kong's present status, the delegation should be ready to counter this. The rebuttal should be in a low key and
should take the same form (e g. an oral statement or
formally circulated document) as the Chinese claim. It should
be delivered only after consulation with the FCO. The full wording of the standard statement of rebuttal is as follows:
"With reference to the statement made by the Chinese
Representative, the UK Representative wishes to inform the meeting that his Government's views on this question were clearly stated in the letter addressed by Her Majesty's
Representative in New York to the Secretary-General of the
United Nations on 14 December 1972, which reads as follows:
'I have the honour to refer to General Assembly Resolution 2906
(XXXVIII) of 2 November 1972 and in particular to paragraph 3,
which approved the report of the Special Committee on the situation with regard to the implementation of the declaration on the granting of independence to colonial ccountries and peoples covering its work during 1972. My Government have asked me to inform your Excellency that, in view of paragraph 73 of Chapter 1 of the Report of the Special Committee (A/8723 (Part 1), they have decided that no useful practical purpose would be served by continuing to transmit information on Hong Kong undere Article 73 of the United Nations Charter. My
Government have also asked me to state that the action of the
General Assembly in no way affects the legal status of Hong
Kong. The views of my Government about this status are well known. They are unable to accept any differing views which have been expressed or may hereafter be expressed by other
governments'.
In most circumstances it is likely to be unnecessary to quote
the terms of the letter.
(E)
If there are any other doubts or problems, the delegation should formally reserve their position and seek immediate guidance from the FCO, repeating any telegram to Peking and
Hong Kong.
/(F)
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(F)
(G)
As noted in (C) above, when making oral statements or drafting documents of any kind, the delegation should refer to Hong Kong
as a "territory".
All Hong Kong problems should be reported to the FCO, at least
after the event.
BACKGROUND
HONG KONG'S STATUS AND NOMENCLATURE
4.
The Chinese regard Hong Kong as Chinese territory occupied by the British authorities. While they accept the status quo for purely practical purposes, they object to references to Hong Kong,
made in meetings and in UN and other documents, when they consider these to imply that Hong Kong is an independent country. They also dislike explicit references to Hong Kong as a dependent territory of the UK. The specific terms to which they have objected in recent years have varied according to the context. As well as "country", they have objected to references to the "Government of Hong Kong",
and to "territory" when it implies a reference to Hong Kong's
position as a dependent territory.
We do not favour
5. Our preference is for the term "territory".
terms such as "region", "zone" or "area", which could be taken as
implying that Hong Kong is a region of China. We have however
acquiesced in the heading "countries and areas" in UN statistical
publications so long as there is a disclaimer to the effect that
"country or area" should be interpreted to cover countries,
territories, cities or areas. As noted above, we can also accept
"area" as a last resort. The successful conclusion of the recent
negotiations on the future of Hong Kong after 1997 should reduce
Chinese sensitivities over matters of status and nomenclature.
However until 1997 we would expect the Chinese to seek to maintain their formal position over Hong Kong's status
status in international fora
if, deliberately or inadvertantly, this is called into question.
HONG KONG AGREEMENT
7. A draft agreement on the future of Hong Kong was initialled by
British and Chinese negotiators on 26 September 1984. It is due to be signed before the end of 1984 and ratified before
/30 June
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