(i) Agreement that Hong Kong should be deemed a separate contract- ing party to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and should continue in that status after 1997 in the name of 'Hong Kong, China'. Hong Kong duly became the GATT's 91st contracting party on 23 April 1986.
(ii) Agreement on transitional measures relating to the principal travel and identity documents issued to Hong Kong residents, to avoid any disruption in this important area on I July 1997.
(iii) Agreement on the establishment of a standing sub-group of experts to consider the question of the continued application of interna- tional rights and obligations affecting Hong Kong. The sub-group has its principal base in Hong Kong and it held its first meeting there from 15 to 17 October 1986.
(iv) Agreement on the principles for the establishment of a separate Hong Kong Register of Shipping which can be maintained beyond 1997. Necessary work to put this into effect is now going on in Hong Kong.
(v) Agreement on the principles for the conclusion of separate Air Service Agreements between Hong Kong and its aviation partners, which are capable of remaining in force after 1997. The first such Air Service Agreement was signed between the Government of Hong Kong and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in The Hague on 17 September 1986. Negotiation of other Hong Kong Air Service Agreements is going forward.
(vi) Agreement on the introduction of a new pension scheme for civil
servants in Hong Kong.
(vii) Agreement that Hong Kong should continue its present participa- tion in the Universal Postal Union, the World Meteorological Organisation, the International Maritime Organisation and the International Telecommunication Union after 1997. Consultation is continuing on the practical steps needed to achieve this. So too is consultation on Hong Kong's participation in other international organisations, including the Customs Cooperation Council.
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The work of the Group has been taken forward not only at the regular plenary meetings but also by smaller groups of experts meeting on an ad hoc basis to discuss specific issues. The Group's achievements to date have been widely welcomed and appreciated in Hong Kong. The friendly and cooperative atmosphere, in which all contacts in and under the Group have taken place, is most encouraging and augurs well for the continued close cooperation that will be needed between Britain and China as 1997 approaches.
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