CONFIDENTIAL
62
027246
MDHIAN 9791
CONFIDENTIAL
HKD
RECEI
026/9
105PT 19
TOP COPY Q DIST?
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 27103OZ F C O
IN
TELNO 960
OF 270925Z MARCH 91
YOUR TELNO 583: SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT TO HONG KONG AND CHINA: HONG KONG MEMBERSHIP OF PECC AND APEC
SUMMARY
HONG KONG WILL BE ADMITTED AS A FULL MEMBER OF THE PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION CONFERENCE (PECC) AT ITS EIGHTH GENERAL MEETING TO BE HELD IN SINGAPORE ON 20-22 MAY 1991. HONG KONG CONTINUES TO SEEK FULL MEMBERSHIP OF ASIA PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION (APEC).
PECC
2.
A HONG KONG COMMITTEE FOR PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION WAS FORMED IN MARCH 1990 AND HAS SINCE BEEN PARTICIPATING IN VARIOUS PECC ACTIVITIES. ITS APPLICATION FOR FULL MEMBERSHIP HAS BEEN ACCEPTED IN PRINCIPLE BY THE PECC STANDING COMMITTEE. HONG KONG, TOGETHER WITH MEXICO, PERU AND CHILE, WILL BE ADMITTED AS FULL MEMBERS OF PECC AT THE NEXT (EIGHTH) ANNUAL MEETING TO BE HELD IN SINGAPORE ON 20-22 MAY. CHINA AND TAIWAN (UNDER THE NAME OF CHINESE TAIPEI) ARE ALREADY MEMBERS OF PECC.
APEC
3. OUR WISH IS TO JOIN APEC AS A FULL MEMBER. TO THIS END WE HAVE BEEN IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH KOREA (WHICH WILL HOST THE THIRD MINISTERIAL MEETING IN OCTOBER 1991) AND OTHER APEC MEMBERS.
4. RECENTLY CHINA PROPOSED INFORMALLY TO APEC THAT IT SHOULD JOIN AS A FULL MEMBER WHILE HONG KONG AND TAIWAN SHOULD JOIN AS OBSERVERS. WHEN WE SUBSEQUENTLY RAISED THE MATTER WITH THE CHINESE IN THE MARGINS OF JLG XVIII, THEY INDICATED THAT THERE WAS FLEXIBILITY IN THEIR POSITION AND THAT HONG KONG AND TAIWAN COULD JOIN AS FORMAL PARTICIPANTS PROVIDED THAT A SATISFACTORY FORM OF WORDS COULD BE FORMULATED TO REFLECT A CLEAR DISTINCTION BETWEEN SOVEREIGN STATES AND REGIONAL ECONOMIES. THEY TOOK NOTE OF OUR POINT THAT HONG KONG ACCEPTED THE PRINCIPLE OF ONE CHINA
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