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FM UKDEL IMF/IBRD WASHINGTON
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 316
OF 11230OZ SEPTEMBER 92
AND TO PRIORITY HM TREASURY, HONG KONG, PEKING, JLG HONG KONG
TREASURY FOR PICKERING
MY TELNO 241 OF 25 JUNE
IMF/IBRD ANNUAL MEETINGS 1997
1. WE HAVE AT LAST HAD A RESPONSE FROM THE CHINESE WORLD BANK
OFFICE.
2. JIN (CHINESE ALTERNATE ED IN THE WORLD BANK) TELLS
ME HE HAS AN AGREED REPLY FROM HIS VARIOUS AUTHORITIES. IT IS HOWEVER A LITTLE OPAQUE. THEY WOULD LIKE TO DEVELOP A QUOTE HONG KONG UNQUOTE MODEL FOR THE MEETINGS IN WHICH THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD PLAY A QUOTE PROPER UNQUOTE ROLE. HE SEEMED QUITE ATTACHED TO THESE WORDS, SAYING THAT HIS AUTHORITIES SAW THE QUOTE BERLIN MODEL UNQUOTE AS MISLEADING, SINCE HONG KONG IN 1997 WOULD HAVE A DIFFERENT STATUS FROM BERLIN IN 1988, AND EXPRESSING A PREFERENCE FOR QUOTE PROPER UNQUOTE RATHER THAN QUOTE PROMINENT UNQUOTE AS A DESCRIPTION OF THE ROLE TO BE PLAYED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. BUT AT THE SAME TIME HE EXPRESSED GREAT CONFIDENCE THAT AN APPROACH SATISFACTORY TO
ALL PARTIES COULD BE WORKED OUT. HE ACCEPTED THAT A QUOTE PROPER UNQUOTE ROLE WOULD REFLECT THE FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITMENTS THAT HONG KONG WOULD BE MAKING.
3. NEEDLESS TO SAY, HE REPORTED HIS AUTHORITIES WERE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE IDEA THAT THEY WOULD ISSUE THE INVITATIONS WITH SUPPORTING LETTERS FROM THE UK AND HONG KONG.
4. WE AGREED THAT THE NEXT STEP SHOULD, AS HONG KONG HAVE ALREADY SUGGESTED, BE A MEETING WITH THE HONG KONG DELEGATION IN THE MARGINS OF THIS MONTHS IMF/IBRD ANNUAL MEETINGS, TO EXPLORE IN GREATER DETAIL WHAT AN ACCEPTABLE
QUOTE HONG KONG UNQUOTE MODEL WOULD INVOLVE. WE ARE IN TOUCH WITH HONG KONG SEPARATELY ABOUT THE TIMING OF THIS MEETING.
PERETZ
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