TNAG-1655-FCO40-2303-Hong-Kong-and-the-Customs-Co-operation-Council-(CCC)-1987 — Page 141

CONFIDENTIA!

GRS 394

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 992

OF 010825Z JUNE 87

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, BRUSSELS

111/1

TOP COPY C DIST ?

39

MY TELNO 982, YOUR TELNO 518, BRUSSELS TELNO 173 AND MIFT:

HONG KONG AND THE CCC

1. PIGOTT CALLED ON LIN ZHIYING ON 1 JUNE AND TOOK ACTION AS

INSTRUCTED. HE WENT THROUGH OUR PROPOSED AMENDMENTSWIHIN LIN

POINT BY POINT AND HANDED TO HIM A REVISED TEXT OF PARAS 3 AND

4 WHICH WE HAD PREPARED, INCORPORATING ALL THESE AMENDMENTS

(FOR CLARITY, THE TEXT OF THESE PARAS IS IN MIFT). PIGOTT PUT

FORWARD THE FORMULA IN PARA 1 OF YOUR TELNO 501, AS AMENDED BY PARA

1 OF HONG KONG TELNO 2046, FOR THE PHRASE IN OUR SPEAKING NOTE

CLARIFYING ''SAR''. HE ALSO PUT FORWARD OUR PROPOSAL ON

CO-ORDINATION AND TIMING OF THE CALLS ON THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF

THE CCC.

2. IN RESPONSE, LIN EXPRESSED THANKS AND APPRECIATION FOR OUR

AGREEMENT TO REDRAFT THE PHRASE CLARIFYING ''SAR''. THE CHINESE

SIDE ACCEPTED OUR REDRAFT.

3. ON THE REDRAFT OF PARA 3 AND 4, LIN SAID THAT THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD STUDY OUR PROPOSALS, CHECKING THEM AGAINST THE ORIGINAL CHIESE TEXT AND THE TRANSLATION. SPEAKING PERSONALLY, HE DID NOT THINK THERE WOULD BE ANY DIFFICULTY WITH OUR PROPOSALS.

4. ON TIMING OF ACTION BY THE TWO EMBASSIES, LIN SAID THAT THE

CHINESE SIDE WOULD, IN THE WEEK BEGINNING 8 JUNE, INFORM THEIR EMBASSY IN BURSSELS OF THE EXACT DATE ON WHICH TO MAKE THEIR

APPROACH TO THE SECRETARY-GENERAL, ONCE THIS HAD BEEN DECIDED IN

PEKING. SPEAKING PERSONALLY, PIGOTT EXPLAINED THAT IT WOULD BE

ADMINISTRATIVELY LESS COMPLICATED IF BOTH SIDES WERE TO GIVE THEIR

RESPECTIVE EMBASSIES IN BRUSSELS A TIME SPAN WITHIN WHICH TO

LIAISE AND TAKE ACTION. DECIDING A SPECIFIC DATE FROM PEKING MIGHT

ONLY RESULT IN CHOOSING ONE WHICH WAS NOT CONVENIENT TO ALL THREE

PARTIES. AFTER SOME CONSULTATION, LIN AGREED THAT THE CHINESE SIDE

WOULD NOT SPECIFY A DATE TO THE1OR EMBASSY. HE POINTED OUT THAT THE

EARLIEST THE CHINESE EMBASSY IN BRUSSELS COULD TAKE ACTION WOULD BE

IN THE WEEK BEGINNING 8 JUNE, SINCE THE MFA WOULD BE UNABLE TO GET

THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS TO THEM BEFORE THEN., LIN ADDED THAT, IN ANY CASE, THE CHINESE SIDE INTENDED TO TAKE ACTION BEFORE 15 JUNE. HE CONCLUDED THAT THIS WAS HIS PERSONAL VIEW AND THAT HE WOULD COME

BACK TO US SHORTLY ONCE A FORMAL DECISION HAD BEEN TAKEN.

CONFIDENTIAL

/s.