TNAG-2857-FCO40-4110-Satellite-Licensing-and-Asia-Satellite-Telecommunications-Co-1993 — Page 87

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO PRIORITY FCO

TELNO 3716

トル

H1123 192/1

OF 270845Z NOVEMBER 91

17 HKBA2/1

وجx اعمار

With/12

P

030653

MOLIAN 7324

M.. Senole (ESL) her

15.N.ft.

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invited the carmen ti

Серіка 16

of cle not to us

YOUR TELNO 1912: ASIASAT: PROPOSAL TO APPOINT BRITISH NATIONAL SPACE CENTRE (BNSC) AS CONSULTANT FOR LICENSING OF ASIASAT 2.

1. YOU ASKED FOR FURTHER CLARIFICATION OF OUR PROPOSAL.

L

ick

Muond

2. WHAT WE ARE CONCERNED OVER IS MORE THE FORM THAN THE SUBSTANCE OF BNSC'S ASSISTANCE. ON THIS OCCASION WE WOULD REQUIRE A LOWER LEVEL OF HELP AND SUPPORT THAN THAT GIVEN TO US BY THE AGENCY OVER LICENSING ASIASAT 1. AS WITH ASIASAT 1, THE REASON WE ARE SEEKING BNSC'S HELP IS THAT WE LACK SUFFICIENT EXPERTISE LOCALLY: THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH ASIASAT 1 MAKES THEM THE PREFERRED SOURCE OF ADVICE ON THIS OCCASION.

3. WE HAVE SUGGESTED THAT BNSC'S HELP BE IN THE FORM OF A QUOTE CONSULTANCY UNQUOTE TO AVOID THE IMPRESSION THAT HMG IS RUNNING OUR SATELLITE LICENSING REGIME. THIS IS FOR MIRROR IMAGE REASONS: WE HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THE BNSC ARE CORRECT IN ASSUMING THAT THE CHINESE WOULD WISH TO BE INVOLVED IN THE LICENSING OF HONG KONG'S SATELLITES AFTER 1997: THIS IS SOMETHING WE WISH TO KEEP TO THE MINIMUM: WE ARE ANXIOUS TO AVOID OUR LICENSING ARRANGEMENTS BECOMING ENTANGLED IN MAINLAND BUREAUCRACY POST 1997. WERE THIS TO HAPPEN, HONG KONG'S ATTRACTIVENESS AS A REGIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS CENTRE WOULD BE REDUCED.

4. WE TAKE YOUR POINT OVER THE NEED TO ENSURE THAT THE SOVEREIGN POWER'S INTERESTS (BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER 1997) ARE ADEQUATELY PROTECTED. THE FORMAL INTERFACE WITH IFRB, ITU AND OTHER CONVENTIONS AND TREATIES GOVERNING SPACE ACTIVITIES WOULD CONTINUE TO BE HANDLED BY HMG (BEFORE 1997) AND BY THE CPG (POST 1997), HOWEVER THE PREPARATION OF DOCUMENTS AND LICENSING SHOULD REST WITH HKG TO PRESERVE OUR AUTONOMY IN THIS AREA. WE ARE KEEN TO ESTABLISH A PRECEDENT OF EMPLOYING OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS TO ASSIST US IN THESE TASKS. THIS WILL GIVE US A FREER HAND IN SEEKING ADVICE POST-1997. WE WOULD IN ANY CASE HOPE, BY 1997, TO HAVE BUILT UP THE SKILL BASE NECESSARY TO ENABLE US TO FIELD THESE MATTERS LOCALLY.

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