TNAG-1604-FCO40-2211-Future-of-Hong-Kong-annual-reports-to-Parliament-on-Hong-Kon-1988 — Page 74

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO DESKBY 1710OOZ FCO

TELNO 4789

OF 17083OZ DECEMBER 87

INFO PRIORITY

PEKING

CONFIDENTIAL

ally

061307

MDHIAN 0740

71

HURB OILA

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY 1 & DEC 1987

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

YOUR TELNO 3283 : ANNUAL REPORT ON HONG KONG

WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS ON THE SUGGESTIONS IN PARA 1 OF TUR

J

(A) WE NEED TO DEAL SEPARATELY WITH INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL REACTION

TO THE NEW BN(0) PASSPORT. EXCO CONSIDERED WE SHOULD COME CLEAN WITH THE FACT THAT THE UPTAKE OF BN (0) PASSPORTS HAS BEEN SLOW, EVEN THOUGH INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO THESE PASSPORTS HAS BEEN ENCOURAGI- NG. WE SUGGEST THAT THE SENTENCE BE AMENDED TO READ : ''ALTHOUGH THE INITIAL UPTAKE OF BN (0) PASSPORTS HAS BEEN SLOW, A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER ARE NOW IN USE, AND THEIR HOLDERS HAVE ENCOUNTERED NO PRACTICAL PROBLEMS.' WE AGREE ''VISA FREE'' COULD BE DELETED.

(B) ALTHOUGH WE HAVE USED THE LINE BEFORE, EXCO FELT STRONGLY IN THE LIGHT OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS THAT THE SENTENCE SHOULD BE DELETED FOR PRESENTATIONAL REASONS. THE FACT THAT THE REPORT WILL BE PUBLISHED AS A WHITE PAPER IN HONG KONG AS WELL AS IN LONDON, SHORTLY BEFORE THE PUBLICATION OF THE WHITE PAPER ON THE 1987 REVIEW. WAS ALSO SEEN AS RELEVANT. WE THINK EXCO HAS A POINT, BUT IF YOU FELT STRONGLY THAT THE SENTENCE SHOULD BE RETAINED, WE WOULD NOT OBJECT.

(C) AGREED.

(D) EXCO FELT A REFERENCE SHOULD BE MADE TO THE VERY LARGE NUMBER OF NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES PUBLISHED IN HONG KONG, WHICH IS PART OF THE JUSTIFICATIONF FOR THE LEGISLATION.

(E) WE SUGGEST ''CURRENT STANDARDS

SHOULD BE AMENDED TO 'THE

PERCEIVED CURRENT COMMUNITY STANDARDS''. WE HOPE THIS WOULD BE CLEARER.

(F) CORRECT.

2. PARA 2 OF TUR. WE HAVE INCORPORATED ALL THESE AMENDMENTS.

3. WE HAVE SPOTTED ONE FURTHER AMENDMENT

AT THE END OF PARA 13, THE

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CONFIDENTIAL