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participation in that capacity will cease.

Since it will

not be an independent sovereign state, it cannot become a fully participating member in its own right.

Guidance Note of 1988

5.

In January 1988, the then Deputy Chief Secretary issued a guidance note on Hong Kong's relations with the

Commonwealth.

The note proposed that, while private

participating

individuals

organisations/activities without

in

Commonwealth

Government support or

sanction could continue if the organisation in question

agrees, policy branches should consider what steps should be taken to withdraw their participation in "governmental"

organisations/activities and to phase out Government's support in respect of Hong Kong's participation, in "non-governmental" organisations/activities. The note, however, recognised the importance of Hong Kong's legal links with the Commonwealth and suggested separate action

be taken.

Proposal

6.

Hong

and

we

It would be politically unrealistic to maintain Kong's formal links with the Commonwealth after 1997, recommend that they should be discontinued.

Nevertheless, the cessation of our formal association with the Commonwealth itself should not preclude our continued

links with individual constituent parts of it. therefore also recommend that, as far as practicable, those links which are beneficial to Hong Kong and which do not

obligations create

for the Government towards the

Commonwealth should be maintained.

We

Accordingly, we propose

that

existing our

links with

the Commonwealth should be

dealt with in the following ways:

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