TNAG-1373-FCO40-1819-Ministerial-visits-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 7

ANOTHER DOCUMENT. IF AN IDENTITY CARD WERE NEEDED AS WELL, WHAT

VALUE WAS THE PASSPORT? GALSWORTHY POINTED OUT THAT IT WOULD STILL CONFER BRITISH CONSULAR PROTECTION IN THIRD COUNTRIES AND THAT WE HOPED IT WOULD AVOID VISA REQUIREMENTS WHICH MIGHT 3E IMPOSED ON CHINESE SAR PASSPORT HOLDERS. (THIS POINT WAS FURTHER DISCUSSED AFTER MR. RENTON HAD LEFT THE MESTING. WE POINTED OUT THAT THE WORDING OF THE RIGHT OF ABODE ENDORSEMENT, WHICH WE HAD ALREADY PUT FORWARD TO THE CHINESE AFTER CONSULTING THE COUNCIL, WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION, WHEREAS AN ENDORSEMENT REFERRING DIRECTLY TO THE RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG WOULD NOT BE. WE ALSO EXPLAINED, IN ANSWER TO A FURTHER POINT RAISED BY SIR DAY, CHUNG, THAT THE CHINESE HAD MADE CLEAR DURING THE NECOTIATIONS THAT THEY WOULD NOT WISH THE SAR GOVERNMENT TO ENDORSE BN(O) PASSPORTS

AFTER 1997.)

VIETNAMESE REFUGEES

10. SIR S.Y. CHUNG SAID EXCO WAS GRATEFUL FOR HMG'S ASSISTANCE BUT FELT THAT MORE SHOULD BE DONE. HE WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT THE COUNCIL'S EARLIER PROPOSAL THAT THE UK SHOULD ACCEPT 50 VR'S A MONTH FROM HONG KONG HAD BEEN IGNORED BY HMG. MR. RENTON SAID REFUCEES WERE A WORLDWIDE PROBLEM. THERE WERE THREE MILLION AFGHAN REFUGEES IN PAKISTAN, 1.3 MILLION ETHIOPIANS IN SUDAN, AND SON ON. HMG COULD NOT LOOK AT VR'S IN HONG KONG IN ISOLATION. SIR S.Y. CHUNG SAID HMG HAD RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HONG KONG: AND THE SELECT COMMITTEE HAD BEEN CRITICAL OF OUR CLOSED CAMPS. MR. RENTON SAID HE HAD SPOKEN PUBLICLY ON THE PREVIOUS DAY IN SUPPORT OF THE CONTINUATION OF THE CLOSED CAMP POLICY IN PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES.

262

GATT

11. MR. RENTON SAID THAT, BEARING IN MIND CHINESE SENSITIVITY ASOUT SOVEREIGNTY, IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO TAKE THE CHINESE VERY CAREFULLY THROUGH OUR PROPOSALS ON THE METHOD OF SECURING HONG KONG'S CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN THE GATT. IT MIGHT NOT BE POSSIBLE TO RESOLVE THE QUESTION AT THE NEXT JLG MEETING. BUT THERE WAS NO QUESTION BUT THAT HONG KONG WOULD CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE

GATT AFTER 1997.

12.

YOUDE

*HONG KONG AGREEMENT

LIMITED HD/HKD HD/FED

HD/PLANNING STAFF HD/PUSD

DEP HD/PUSD

RES D (MR WALKER)

PS

PS/MR RENTON

PS/PUS

BIR W HARDING

MR WILSON

SIR J FREELAND

MR J CROWLEY PUSD

3

COPIES TO: (VIA ADR)

MR ROBERTS NEWS DEPT MA FIFOOT LEGAL ADVS

MR MARTIN ASST STAFF

CABINET OFFICE

MR MALLABY CABINET OFFICE MR DR C CHRISTOPHER

CABINET OFFICE

SIR P CRADDOCK NO 10 DOWNING ST. MR WOOD LEGAL ADVISERS

CONFIDENTIAL

THIS IS A COPY

THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN CLOSED UNDER

FOI EXEMPTION NO.27 (dudan