TNAG-1402-FCO40-1874-Future-of-Hong-Kong-continued-participation-in-the-General-A-1985 — Page 27

JALAKY

CONFIDENTIAL

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

FILE

(152

DT I have agreed.

Guter rpa op грато

A J Pryor Esq

International Trade Policy Division

DTI

1-19 Victoria Street LONDON SW1H OET

Telephone 01-

01 233 3722

Your reference

Our reference

HKK 040/24

Date

8 July 1985

9/7.

Zean Arthur,

HONG KONG: GATT

1.

Ник ото/ 24.

RECEIVE!

DE:

INDEX

T

12 JUL 1985

LISTRY

Action Taken

-

Jr

Our you today about

I spoke to

proposal to issue a

formal Instrument of Entrustment to the Governor of

of Hong Kong, delegating authority to him to conduct Hong Kong's external commercial relations.

2.

The

Attorney-General

a

Hong Kong

possesses

has concluded that we should be declaration to

under the GATT,

Article "full

autonomy"

in

the

justified in mak ing XXVI (5)(c), that

conduct

of

its external commercial relations, in view of the de facto autonomy which Hong Kong currently enjoys in this respect, especially if reinforced by an explicit of Entrustment.

3.

I enclose drafts of:

(a) the proposed Instrument of Entrustment;

(b) a complementary and confidential despatch.

I should be grateful for the DTI's concurrence, if possible by close of play on Tuesday 10 July. We need to telegraph the drafts to Hong Kong for comments before submitting them to Ministers here, well in advance of the first meeting of the Joint Liaison Group.

4.

"

The

The Instrument of Entrustment would itself constitute the Governor's credentials and

in powers

fields the relevant

and could, if necessar Y be shown to parties proposing to enter into a trade

agreement with Hong Kong.

accompanying confidential despatch would not be published. Its purpose would be to record

If continuing relationship of the UK and Hong Kong.

you or your Legal Advisers have any queries about the texts, Paul Fifoot,

departmental Legal Adviser, would be

be happy to answer

tne

Our 233 5134.

5.

over

them on

avilable

to

an swer

any ask

someone

You have kindly agreed that a DTI contact will be the telephone between

Us 22-25 July to help technical questions that the Chinese members of the

JLG may the GATT. about Hong Kong and

If this contact is to be

CONFIDENTIAL