TNAG-2161-FCO40-3083-Hong-Kong-visa-abolition-agreements-1990 — Page 120

CONFIDENTIAL

Reference.......

18

Mr Thompson

HKC345

MVD

- 4 JUN 1990

VISA ABOLITION AGREEMENTS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THIRD

COUNTRIES

L

widn

(13

1. I attach a self explanatory position paper produced by Hong Kong about the problem of ensuring that Hong Kong people will enjoy visa-free access to third countries

after 1997 and indeed that BDTCs and BN (0)s continue to

enjoy it until 1997. The paper is self explanatory (the

earlier letter of 27 June 1989 referred to contains

nothing which is not repeated in the present paper).

Hong Kong have asked for our views.

2.

The following are my initial reactions to Hong Kong's

three options:

(a)

Third countries are unlikely to be interested

without reciprocity, which the Chinese are unlikely

to agree to only in respect of BDTC/BN (0) passports.

I would also envisage some difficulty with

returnability: third countries may baulk at an

agreement with the UK which depends on returnability of UK passport holders to what will be after 1997 Chinese territory.

(b) There would be severe confidence problems with this option. And we may in any case find third

countries increasingly reluctant as 1997 approaches

to include BDTCS and BN (0)s in UK VAAS.

(c) This seems to me the most viable option.

some more detailed comments below.

I give

CODE 18-77

Separate Hong Kong VAAS

3.

Separate Hong Kong agreements with third countries to avoid disruption during the transition to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 is a formula we have used in other subject areas. For example, Hong Kong now negotiates its own Air Services Agreements which, with the agreement of

TOMAVI/1

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CODE 18-77