TNAG-2113-FCO40-3016-Sino-British-Joint-Liaison-Group-office-in-Hong-Kong-1990 — Page 41

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ESSENTIALLY SHOW ELEMENTS WHO APPEARED ONLY FOR PLENARY MEETINGS. NEITHER SIDE HAS YET TRIED TO HAVE A MEMBER OF ITS JLG OFFICE

FILLING ANOTHER JOB CONCURRENTLY. ALL THE CHINESE PERSONNEL INVOLVED OPERATE ONLY IN THE CHINESE JLG OFFICE. IF WE WERE TO TRY TO HAVE ONE OFFICER HERE CONCURRENTLY AT BTC WE WOULD OPEN THE WAY

FOR THE CHINESE TO DO THE EQUIVALENT: I AM NOT SURE HOW HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD VIEW THIS.

10. IN THE LONGER TERM AMALGAMATION OF THE TWO OFFICES MAY WELL BE

NECESSARY: THOUGH I WOULD EXPECT THE UK JLG OFFICE TO HAVE TO RETAIN A SEPARATE IDENTITY EVEN IF OPERATING FROM A CONSULATE GENERAL. WHETHER OR NOT THE SENIOR REPRESENTATIVE COULD ALSO BE A CONSUL GENERAL WILL BE QUITE A DELICATE QUESTION, THOUGH IT WOULD OBVIOUSLY MAKE OPERATIONAL SENSE FOR THIS TO HAPPEN AFTER 1997. HOWEVER I DO NOT THINK IT WOULD BE A PRACTICABLE PROPOSITION TO PUT THE TWO OFFICES ALONGSIDE UNTIL WE GO INTO THE NEW BUILDING.

11.

I LOOK FORWARD TO DISCUSSING THIS WITH YOU ON 15 SEPTEMBER.

GALSWORTHY

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