TNAG-2743-FCO40-3958-Visits-by-Commonwealth-officials--ministers-and-public-figur-1993 — Page 104

CONFIDENTIAL

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2

Annex

B Item 8

Association (CPA))

We

involvement.

(Commonwealth

Parliamentary

appreciate your suggestion for Hong Kong's link to the CPA to be presented as a purely Parliament-to-Parliament link without

without Government Indeed, if left to themselves, the present LegCo would certainly welcome such an arrangement. However, we doubt if the Chinese would find the Parliament-to-Parliament link any less sensitive, or any more acceptable, than other forms of Hong Kong participation in the CPA. view i.s that the question of any Hong Kong participation i.n the CPA after 1997 is best left to the future SARG/legislature. It is also dependent on the rules of the CPA as regards participation by non-Commonwealth bodies in its activities. We

suggest, therefore, keeping this item under Annex B (Formal Links which are to be discontinued) but adding a footnote to the effect that whether Hong Kong could have a continuing link, in some alternative form, with the CPA would depend on the rules of the CPA and the decision of the future SARG/legislature having regard to Chinese reaction.

Annex

C Item 2 (Commonwealth War Graves Commission)

Yes.

We, or, to be specific, the Urban Services Department, are in touch with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission locally.

Annex

C Item 7 Association)

(Commonwealth Broadcasting

In the light of your comments, we now consider it more realistic for us to aim at maintaining informal links with the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association rather than staying on as an associate member of the Association after 1997. The remarks column of this item will be amended accordingly.

Annex E

We have checked the Fugitive Offenders (Hong Kong) Order 1967 and agree that the punishable sentence for returnable offences under the Surrender of Fugitive offenders Scheme should be "12 months imprisonment". We will amend the relevant part of the annex accordingly.

CONFIDENTIAL