British Embassy
CONFIDENTIAL
No 1 Ichiban-Cho Chiyoda-ku Tokyo
Telex J22755 (A/B PRODROME) Telephone 265-5511
RICK 122/
26/8
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A M Layden Esq
Hong Kong Dept
FECEIVED
FCO
Date
23 SEP 1986
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Akayton 2178
7 August 1986
Dear Anthony
JOINT LIAISON GROUP: 4TH MEETING
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1.
I briefed on Wednesday 6 August the Deputy Director of China and Hong Kong Division, MFA on the basis of your telno 621 giving the results of the 4th Joint Liaison Group meeting.
2. Kawai was very grateful that we had taken the time and trouble to brief him. He said that the Japanese were interested in the legalities of the transition in 1997, particularly as it related to Hong Kong's GATT status, and to travel documentation. In general, the Japanese attitude towards Hong Kong was positive, and they had no intention of creating problems for the territory. But they had some difficulty over understanding the legal aspects of eg certificates of identity and Hong Kong status within GATT. Kawai wondered, therefore, whether we had any more detailed papers which it might be possible to pass to them to help reassure their Legal Affairs Division that whatever happened in Hong Kong would not create awkward legal precedents.
Comment
3. It may be clearer to you than it is to me exactly what Kawai is getting at. But they obviously have difficulties with their Legal Affairs Division (in quite a few other subjects as well as this one) and any ammunition we can give them is likely to be helpful to our case.
Yours
eve
Christopher Writer.
CEJ Wilton
CONFIDENTIAL
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