TNAG-2743-FCO40-3958-Visits-by-Commonwealth-officials--ministers-and-public-figur-1993 — Page 136

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布政司署

香港下亞厘畢道

*** Our Ref.: CAB B 3/4

來函檔號 Your Ref.:

WI

CONFIDENTIAL

DIEU

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD HONG KONG

BY BAG

9 December 1992

Mr. P. F. Ricketts,

Head,

Hong Kong Department,

Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Dear Peli.

Рей

The Future of Hong Kong's Links

You will

with the Commonwealth

Miss Sand 14/1 for commech All righ pre/consulting

(CD)

recall that we have exchanged thoughts on this subject on several occasion in the past. In Telno 3482 of 23 November 1990, we undertook to formulate proposals on issues relating to Hong Kong's Commonwealth links and to let you see them in the form of a draft memorandum before they are put to the Executive Council. You noted this position in your Telno 786 of 24 April 1991.

In consultation with other Branches, We have finalized our proposals on the future of Hong Kong's links with the Commonwealth, which are now contained in the draft memorandum attached.

Our proposals are based on the premise that Hong Kong's formal association with the Commonwealth must lapse in 1997.

However, the cessation of our formal association with the Commonwealth itself should not preclude our continued links with individual constituent parts of it.

We recommend,

therefore, that where practicable and desirable, formal links with the Commonwealth should be replaced by alternative links on an informal basis, which will serve the same or similar purposes and which can survive the change of sovereignty in 1997. This means that all links which are beneficial to Hong Kong and which do not create obligations for HKG (or the future SARG) towards the Commonwealth should be maintained.

UKREP JLG has been consulted and agrees with the general thrust of our recommendations. We have proposed in the paper that the Chinese side should not be consulted on the future of Hong Kong's Commonwealth links as a subject. UKREP JLG also agrees to this, pointing out that we would stand a much better chance of maintaining informal links of the sort described in the paper by not consulting the Chinese. (A copy of Alan Paul's letter of 14 October 1992 is attached.)

CONFIDENTIAL