TNAG-1402-FCO40-1874-Future-of-Hong-Kong-continued-participation-in-the-General-A-1985 — Page 111

CONFIDENTIAL

this Agreement, such territory shall, upon sponsorship through a declaration by the responsible Contfacting Party

establishing the above mentioned fact, be deemed to be a

Contracting Party".

7. The Contracting Parties to the GATT have established standard

procedures which are used where recourse is made to GATT article XXVI (5) (c). The sponsoring party notifies the GATT formally about the autonomous status of the territory in question. That territory can then inform the GATT that it wishes to be deemed a Contracting Party to the Agreement.

Unde

in accordance with These prozedures 8. The British side propose that the United Kingdom should now make a declaration to the GATT, in accordance with Article XXVI(5)(c), that Hong Kong possesses full autonomy in the conduct of its external commercial relations and of the other matters provided for in the GATT. The British side also propose that, on the same day and immediately following the deposition of the United Kingdom declaration with the GATT Secretariat, Hong Kong Would submit a

statement to the GATT declarang, in standard terms, its wish to be

treated as a Contracting Party to the GATT. In accordance with standard practice, the GATT secretariat would then notify all Contracting Parties that Hong Kong had become a full Contracting

Party.

مقطع

were

it would be helpful to Hong Kong, in this situation, f q. The British side believe that the Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) wild wish to remind the GATT Secretariat and GATT contracting Parties that Hong Kong will become a SAR of the

and d PRC on 1 July 1997 The British side believe that the Goverment of the PRC would further wish to remind them that the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the question of Hong Kong provides for the SAR to continue to be a separate customer territory enjoying the same

as at preser degree of autonomy in the conduct of its external commercial relations and of other matters provided for in the GATT as before the establishment of SAR. The British side accordingly propose that immediately following the submission of the Hong Kong statement to the GATT secretariat, the Government of the PRC might wish to submit to

appropriate

So that there mothers could were acknowredsed and duly noted

The GATT Secretariat would ana) statement of its own to this effect.

no doubt wish to take any such statement into account when notifying

*

CONFIDENTIAT.