TNAG-1349-FCO40-1790-Chinese-visa-office-in-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 251

GR 580

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTAL

FM PEKING 16060OZ JAN 34

TO ROUTINE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 72 OF 16 JANUARY

Chinese

in

pa

Anice

:

see @

14

REGISTRY

PA

Actifyn TakeR

HKK 349/1

18 JAN 1984

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

DESK OFFICER

:

INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG

(100)

OUR TELNO 1224: CONSULAR AGREEMENT

1. AFTER REPEATED REMINDERS FROM US CONSULAR DEPARTMENT

على الاف اسمول

FINALLY CALLED A MEETING TODAY 13 JANUARY. MME XU HAS APPARENTLY RETIRED: HER PLACE ON THE CHINESE TEAM HAS BEEN TAKEN BY HUANG ZHIRONG, WHO HAS BEEN APPOINTED DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF CONSULAR DEPARTMENT.

2. AFTER INITIAL SKIRMISHING HUANG SAID THAT THE CHINESE SIDE HAD NOT CHANGED ITS VIEWS SINCE THE MEETING ON 21 NOVEMBER. HOWEVER AFTER FURTHER PRESSURE HE SAID THAT THE CHINESE SIDE COULD ACCEPT AN AGREED RECORD ON ARTICLE 2 SIMILAR TO THAT WE HAD PROPOSED. HE THEN PRODUCED THE FOLLOWING FORMULA.

'' THE CHINESE AND BRITISH SIDES WOULD EXPECT THE SENDING STATE TO DISCUSS THE SITING OF ITS CONSULATE GENERAL WITH THE FOREIGNBMINISTRY/OFFICE OF THE RECEIVING STATE. THEY MUTUALLY ASSURED THAT THE RECEIVING STATE WOULD NOT RAISE UNREASONABLE OBJECTIONS TO THE SITING OF THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE SENDING STATE''

3. I SAID THAT THIS DID NOT ENTIRELY MEET OUR CONCERN SINCE IT DID NOT REFER TO THE NECESSITY OF REACHING AGREEMENT WITH THE AUTHORITIES CONCERNED. HOWEVER, WE CONSIDERED THAT ENOUGH TIME HAD BEEN SPENT ON THIS ISSUE. IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES I WISHED TO STATE THAT THE BRITISH AUTHORITIES WOULD REQUIRE SUCH AGREEMENT TO BE REACHED ON THE SITING OF THE MANCHESTER CONSULATE WITH THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE AND OTHER RELEVANT AUTHORITIES. I ASKED HI TO TAKE NOTE OF THIS STATEMENT.

I ACCEPTED THE AGREED RECORD AS PROPOSED BY HIM AND BOTH SIDES AGREED TO INCORPORATE IT INTO THE RECORD OF THIS MEETING. 4. I SAID THAT OUR AGREEMENT TO THIS FORMULA FOR DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM IN ARTICLE 2 WAS DEPENDENT ON THERE BEING NO FURTHER PROBLEMS ON THE REST OF THE TEXT. HUANG CONFIRMED THAT GIVEN THE AGREEMENT ON ARTICLE 2 THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD ACCEPT THE TOTAL OF 9 COUNTIES FOR THE IRMCONSULAR DISTRICT IN MANCHESTER. THEY WOULD DROP CLEVELAND.

5. WE THEREFORE AGREED THAT ACCORD HAD NOW BEEN REACHED ON THE TEXT OF THE CONSULAR AGREEMENT. HM CONSUL (SAVAGE) WILL CALL ON CONSULAR DEPARTMENT THIS WEEK TO CHECK THE FULL TEXT WITH THEM, AND WE SHALL THEN LET YOU HAVE IT. WHEN WE HAVE YOUR APPROVAL

WE WILL ARRANGE FOR THE TEXT TO BE INITIALLED.

CONFIDENTAL

/COMMENT

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