On 10 June 1997, the Secretary-General received communications concerning the status of Hong Kong from the Governments of the United Kingdom and China. Upon resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, China notified the Secretary-General that the Convention will also apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. [The Convention] to which the People's Republic of China is not yet a party and which applied to Hong Kong before 1 July 1997, will continue to apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with effect from 1 July 1997.
In addition, the notification contained the following declaration:
"The Government of the People's Republic of China cannot undertake that effect will be given in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to article 25, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Convention, and can only undertake that the provisions of paragraph 3 of the said article will be applied in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region so far as the law there allows.
Within the above ambit, responsibility for the international rights and obligations of a Party to the [said Convention] will be assumed by the Government of the People's Republic of China."