TNAG-1655-FCO40-2303-Hong-Kong-and-the-Customs-Co-operation-Council-(CCC)-1987 — Page 181

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Confidential DIST ?

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING

TO MIMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 685

OF 230614Z APRIL 87

MINFO HIMMEDIATE HONG KONG

YOUR TELNOS 1116-1118 TO HONG KONG: HONG KONG AND THE CCC

1. WE ARE CONTENT WITH THE TEXT OF THE DRAFT SPEAKING NOTE IN FORST

TUR.

THE CHINESE ARE ALMOST CERTAIN TO ASK FOR A COPY WHEN WE COME TO USE IT AND WE THINK INT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAND ONE OVER (PARA 3 OF FIRST TUR).

2. ON PARA 4 OF FIRST TURY, WITHOUT KNOWING PRECISELY WHAT UKREP BRUSSELS' VIEWS ARE ON THE WAY IN WHICH THE EC COMMISSION COULD BE HELPFUL, WE FIND AT DIFFICULT TO JUDGE THE ADVANTAGES OF APPROACHING THE COMMISSION AT THIS EARLY STAGE. WE NOTE YOUR VIEW THAT THERE MIGHT BE 'SOME SLIGHT POSSIBLE BENEFIT. HIN OUR VIEW, THERE S AN EQUALLY SLIGHT RISK THAT THE CHINESE CAME TO HEAR OF OUR

APPROACH TO THE COMMISSION, THEY WOULD BE IRRITATED BY WHAT THEY MIGHT PERCEIVE AS THE INVOLVEMENT OF A PARTY UNRELATED TO THE CC N WHAT THEY CONSIDERED A BILATERAL MATTER. WE DO NOT FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT THIS BUT THANK THE POSSIBLE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES SHOULD BE CAREFULLY WENGHTED.

3. ON SECOND TUR, WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS:

A) ''HKSAR' MIN PARA 1 SHOULD BE SPELT OUT FULLY FOR BRUSSELS'

BENEFIT.

B) HN PARA 4, THE WORDS AND SHMULTANEOUSLY SHOULD BE DELETED FROM THE FINAL SENTENCE.

C) THE FIRST SENTENCE OF THE FINAL PARA SHOULD BE RECAST TO REFLECT THE PARALLEL, BUT CONSECUTIVE, APPROACHES TO THE SG BY THE BRITISH

AND CHINESE AMBASSADORS. A POSSIBLE FORMULA WOULD BE TO CHANGE THE

FIRST SENTENCE TO READT WAS AGREED THAT THE BRITISH AND CHINESE EMBASSIES SHOULD MAKE PARALLEL BUT SEPARATE APPROACHES TO THE SG, THE BRITISH EMBASSY FIRST AND THEN THE CHINESE EMBASSY, USING

SPEAKING NOTES... ...ETC'

4.

ON THIRD TUR, WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS:

Confidential

IA)

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