VI.
CONFIDENTIAL
SIR Y K PAO'S CHEVENING WEEKEND 15-16 MARCH 1986
HONG KONG: SHIPPING
Background
Proposals for a Hong Kong Register of Shipping
1.
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In order to ensure
a
Annex 1 of the Joint Declaration provides that the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region "shall continue to maintain a shipping register
smooth transition we and Hong
Kong propose to replace by 1990 the present arrangement (under which
Hong Kong, like other dependent territories, is a British port of
registry) with a separate and autonomous Hong Kong register. This
is important both for political reasons (a viable register will help maintain confidence in Hong Kong and further enhance its autonomy after 1997) and for commercial ones: 10% of the world's merchant
fleet is beneficially owned in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong
Government hope that the n ew register will attract some of the 89%
of Hong Kong owned ships which are registered under non-UK flags.
2.
-n May 1985, the Hong Kong Government published a consultative
document containing proposals for such a register. Comments have
been received from Hong Kong shipping and related interests, and Hong Kong
Kong have since developed proposals which EXCO approved in
January.
3.
The Embassy in Peking gave the Chinese an advance copy of the
consultative document. We gave the Chinese in February more formal proposals to allow discussion at third JLG, 11-14 March.
CONFIDENTIAL
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