DRAFT
Thank you Madam Chairman,
Let me begin
by
speaking about Multilateral
International Agreements.
1.
The United Kingdom,
over the years, extended about
200 multilateral agreements to Hong Kong. Many of these
agreements are important to us in facilitating our legal and
commercial links with the international community. For
example the British extended to Hong Kong international
agreements in the fields of merchant shipping, private
international law, civil aviation, international arbitration
and customs cooperation.
2.
not
On 1 July 1997, those agreements to which China is
a party (more than half the total) which currently apply
to Hong Kong by virtue of the fact that the UK is a party,
will automatically lapse unless some action is taken to
their continued application. In this connection, the Declaration provides that such international agreements remain implemented in the Hong Kong Special
Annex II to the Joint
ensure
Joint
may
Administrative Region.
Furthermore,
Declaration provides that the Joint Liaison Group shall
consider what action needs to be taken by the two Governments
to ensure the continued application of international rights and obligations affecting Hong Kong.
3.
In 1985 the JLG
Progress has
established a Sub-group on International Rights and Obligations in order to carry out
this task.
been disappointingly slow on the
British side's proposals. So far, the two sides have reached
agreement, in principle, on the continued application of
about half the treaties concerned, including 29 agreements
organizations in which Hong Kong
establishing
international
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.