TNAG-2190-FCO40-3127-Hong-Kong-nationality-package-1990 — Page 41

CONFIDENTIAL

117

27 FEB 1900

pa. 1/3

Mr

Morris,

HICD

Thank you. v. Ewan 28/2

PS/Mr Maude

FROM: J Morris

Hong Kong Department

DATE: 27 February 1990

cc: Mr Paul

CALL ON MR MAUDE BY DR FERNANDO DE SOUSA

нко 34014

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

1 1 APR 1990

DESK OFFICER INDEX

PA

REGISTRY

Action Taken

1. You asked for a note on whether there are lessons to be learned

from Macao.

A

B

2.

I attach copies of Ms Major's submission of 16 October 1989 on

the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration on Macao, and Mr Hum's

submission of 1 May 1987 on the same subject. This includes a

detailed comparison of the Hong Kong and Macao Joint Declarations.

3. The question seems to fall into two parts: whether the

Portuguese have negotiated a more success ful deal for Macao in its Joint Declaration, and whether they have made more generous

nationality provisions for the people of Macao. Mr McLaren's note at the end of Mr Hum's submission makes it clear that the Portuguese

have not achieved a better deal for Macao in either of these areas.

It is worth emphasising that the Macao Joint Declaration is very

similar to the Hong Kong Joint Declaration. Mr Hum's submission

covers the main differences in paragraph 2. On balance the Hong

Kong Joint Declaration achieves terms at least as good as the Macao

Agreement, except on the question of non-Chinese serving in the SAR

Government, where the Macao Agreement is slightly more liberal.

4.

On the nationality question, we are not aware of any change in

the position of the 85,000 Portuguese passport holders in Macao, as

outlined in paragraph 6 of Mr Hum's submission. It is however

important to recognise that the numbers involved are relatively

insignificant compared with the 3.28 million BDTCs in Hong Kong, and

small compared with the 50,000 families who will receive British

POPAEB

CONFIDENTIAL