TNAG-2090-FCO40-2975-Diplomatic-representation-of-third-countries-in-Hong-Kong-1991 — Page 74

布政司署

香港下亞厘畢道

CONFIDENTIAL

本署檔號 Our Ref.:

SCR 6/2071/89

來函檔號 Your Ref.:

DIEU

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

Stone

7 November 1990

나나)

.) the stake with

2) pa

PR Nelson Esq

British Embassy

Manila

Jean Nelson,

Hong Kong Visa Policy for East Europeans

My apologies for failing to reply earlier to your letter of 24 September: I regret to say it lost its way in our filing system.

In fact, as copy recipients will know from our telno 1837 of 12 June this year, we have considerably relaxed our position on visas for nationals of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Romania. To answer your specific question, their diplomats stationed in third countries will be granted visas to visit Hong Kong provided they fulfil normal

requirements.

The Czech charge you mention can therefore apply through you for a visa if he wishes to visit Hong Kong. Presuming nothing untoward emerges he should have no problem, though the visa will still take ten working days to issue.

I enclose a copy of the telegram mentioned above which describes the latest stage in our gradual but steady liberalisation of visas for nationals of the old SovBloc countries. The next stage is likely to come when we have to consider how to handle applications from, e.g. East European companies wishing to set up representative offices here. We have already agreed to a Hungarian Trade Office, and no doubt more requests will follow. Our underlying attitude will no doubt continue to err on the side of caution, though the direction we are moving is pretty clear.

CC HKD, FCO

Yours

eva

Stephan Bradhy

(S E Bradley)

Deputy Political Adviser

MVD, FCO

CONFIDENTIA