TNAG-2056-FCO40-2934-Hong-Kong-and-the-Organisation-for-Economic-Cooperation-and--1990 — Page 51

CON FIDENTIAL

to assume the obligations of membership to acceed to this Convention". Legally, it would perhaps be better to argue for some intermediary form of association rather than full

Although the Convention does not provide

membership.

explicitely for such a step, a precedent rests with

Yugoslavia.

Whilst the legal problems would probably not prove too

difficult, the political problems would be less easy to

The chief hurdle would be the apprehension of

overcome.

Some would

OECD members about Chinese reactions. undoubtedly argue that Peking would construe any attempt to enrol Hong Kong as an unfriendly act, largely for fear of creating a precedent for Taiwan, and result in China raising problems over the OECD/DAE dialogue.

The

Secretary-General of OECD has been at pains to avoid offending the Chinese over the dialogue with the DAE's and he and a number of members would be loath to jeopardize the

Members would also be likely to progress so far achieved.

raise political objections in that they saw no reason why after 1997 a part of China should be entitled to eavesdrop

There could also be on the inter-governmental discussions.

an objection in the resistance to the expansion of numbers

in the OECD.

The Hong Kong Government wish pursue low profile contact with the OECD Secretariat to discuss how best to forge

future links. As a first step, officials from Hong Kong's

Brussels office recently called on H M Permanent

SG2 ACY

CON FIDENTIAL