TNAG-2716-FCO40-3922-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1993 — Page 121

WEDNESDAY 3 NOVEMBER 1993

Members present:

Mr David Howell, in the Chair

Mr Dennis Canavan

Mr Mike Gapes

Mr David Harris

Sir John Stanley Mr David Sumberg Mr Robert Wareing

MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED BY THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

EXAMINATION OF WITNESSES

MR KEVIN CHAMBERLAIN, Deputy Legal Adviser, MS JILL BARRETT, Assistant

Legal Adviser, and MR DAVID EDWARDS, International Law Officer,

Hong Kong Government, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, examined,

and MR CHRISTOPHER HUM, Assistant Under Secretary, Foreign and

Commonwealth Office, further examined.

45.

Chairman

We come this morning to a continuation of this Committee's

inquiry into United Kingdom relations with China up to and beyond 1997. We

want to concentrate specifically on some legal aspects of the Hong Kong

situation and current areas of dispute. Mr Chamberlain and Mr Hum, we are

extremely grateful to you for making yourselves available to the Committee,

to give us your expert view. We very much appreciate it. These are very

complex areas, and as a Committee we heard highly divergent views during

our recent visit to the People's Republic and to Hong Kong.

You have very

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