TNAG-2358-FCO40-3429-Official-visits-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong-1991 — Page 85

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YRTELNO 650 REPEATING PRAGUE TELNO 229 TO YOU:

PROPOSED VISIT BY CZECH DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER TO HONG KONG

1. WE SHOULD BE HAPPY TO ARRANGE CALLS FOR DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER PALOUS ON RELEVANT HKG OFFICIALS ON 29 APRIL AS REQUESTED.

2. WE SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMME MIGHT COVER THE GROUND THAT PALOUS WISHES TO DISCUSS:

0915 CALL ON DIRECTOR OF PROTOCOL (OR HIS DEPUTY THE DIRECTOR

MAY BE AWAY AT THAT TIME). WE WOULD BE CONTENT FOR THE CZECHS TO APPOINT AN HONORARY CONSUL IN HONG KONG AND WOULD CERTAINLY BE PREPARED TO GIVE ADVICE ON THE SUITABILITY OF ANY CANDIDATES THEY HAVE IN MIND. WE DO NOT NORMALLY HOWEVER NOMINATE OR SUGGEST CANDIDATES.

1000

1030

CALL ON DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION (PASSPORTS SCHEME). BROADLY SPEAKING, WE WOULD NOT WISH TO ENCOURAGE ANY SCHEME WHICH ACTIVELY SOUGHT TO DRAW PEOPLE AWAY FROM HONG KONG. IF HOWEVER THERE WAS PROVISION FOR INVESTORS TO DEFER (PREFERABLY INDEFINITELY) THEIR DEPARTURE FROM HONG KONG, YET GET A CZECH PASSPORT, THIS COULD BE SEEN AS A POSITIVE MOVE. ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, HOWEVER, THE CZECH SCHEME SEEMS UNLIKELY TO HAVE ANY WIDE ATTRACTION. THOSE WITH THE MONEY WILL USE IT ELSEWHERE.

CALL ON SECRETARY FOR SECURITY (TO DISCUSS A VISA WAIVER ARRANGEMENT). WE ARE NOT CLEAR WHY THE CZECHS ARE CAUTIOUS ABOUT THIS, GIVEN THAT THE REQUIREMENT FOR VISAS HAS BEEN WAIVED BETWEEN CZECHOSLOVAKIA AND THE UK. IF THE CZECHS HAVE ANY SPECIAL CONCERNS (E.G. ABOUT RETURNABILITY TO HONG KONG OF BDTC/BN (0) PASSPORT HOLDERS), WE SHOULD LIKE THE CHANCE TO ADDRESS THEM.

3. WE ALSO BELIEVE IT MIGHT BE WORTH PALOUS CALLING ON THE

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