TNAG-2051-FCO40-2922-Meeting-between-Lord-Caithness--Minister-of-State-for-Foreig-1990 — Page 24

AUG 31 '90 13:57 JS&S(HK)LTD P.0. 852-5-8104893

POC 71

HONG KONG AIR SERVICES AGREEMENTS

P.4/8

PAGE 4 OF 8.

1.

Article 128 of the Basic Law adopted by the

National People's Congress on 4th April 1990, which

reflects the Sino-British Joint Declaration,

accurately

states:

17

The Government of the Hong Kong Special

Administrative Region shall provide conditions and

measures for the maintenance of the status of

international and

take

Hong Kong as a centre of

regional aviation."

2.

In order to

achieve the

smooth

transition

necessary to maintain this status in 1997, the British

Government, in close consultation with the Hong Kong

Government, and with the full support of the Chinese

Government, have been separating U.K. Air Services

Agreements to produce two agreements, one covering the

U.K., and the other covering Hong Kong. Also, to meet the

dynamics of an expanding network of services, new Hong Kong Air Services Agreements have been and will need to continue to be negotiated, a fact which is clearly recognised in the

provisions of Article 133(2) of the Basic Law for this process to continue after 1997.

3.

Five Hong Kong Air Services Agreements have now been signed, with The Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada,

Brunei and France. Five initialled texts (for ASAS with

New Zealand, Brazil, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and India) have been passed to the Chinese side in accordance with the

procedures agreed in the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group. Federal Republic of Germany have

Negotiations with the

recently been completed

and a text will shortly be passed