布政司署
香港下亞畢道
本署檔號 Our Ref: CAB B3/19/9/4
來函檔號 YOUR REF :
CONFIDENTIAL
1HKC175/1
RECEIVED IN Denie
22 MAY 1991
DESK OFFICER
19
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
CISTRY
PA
Action Taken
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
HONG KONG
By Bag
¿
18 May 1991
Mr Chris Sainty
Hong Kong Department
INDEX
Loffic
Foreign and Commonwealth office.
London, SW1A 2AH
UNITED KINGDOM
Dear Chus,
now
Reply issured to (TO)
Pe
Pus
23/5.
85/HK (175/193
(227
HK Shipping Register: Ensigns
い
I refer to Ms Major's letter dated 24 April.
No doubt you are aware of the background leading to the present flagging arrangement. Our original preference, as stated in the November 1985 positional paper, was to fly a Red Ensign defaced with an apolitical Hong Kong emblem before 1997 and a PRC flag similarly defaced after 1997 among other options. Lu Ping first suggested a possible two-flag arrangement in November 1985 (Peking Telno 1622 of 1985 refers) and after reviewing our position, the existing two-flag arrangement, which indicates both the nationality and the port of registration, was proposed and agreed between the British and the Chinese sides at JLG IV in July 1986.
Regarding the approach to the Ministry of Defence by Fragrant Harbour Publications Ltd, we suggest the Ministry to respond along the line that following the establishment of the new Hong Kong Shipping Register, it is necessary for Hong Kong registered ships to be identifiable as such and the two-flag arrangement serves to indicate both the nationality and the port of registration of the ship.
We do not see any point in commenting on the remarks attributed to the Director of Marine (who was closely involved in the process of setting up the Register) on page two of the article. You will see from the attached copy
of the full text of the Director of Marine's letter to the South China Morning Post dated 18 December 90 that he had, in fact, given a full account of
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