In any
BASIC PRINCIPLES
sideration of the
ure of Hong) ong
are
three basic principles which, in our view, ought to be observed.
First, we should focus our attention on the effects in the
future instead of the rights and wrongs of the past.
Second, any proposal for the future of Hongkong should base
itself on what is practicable and on what is acceptable to
the three parties concerned, viz., Peking, London and the residents of Hongkong.
Third, in considering the political future of Hongkong, we
should take Hongkong as a whole and should not treat the
lease of Kowloon and the New Territories as a separate issue.
II. THE POSITION OF THE THREE PARTIES CONCERNED
According to our understanding, the three parties concerned
have each its own position regarding the future of Hongkong:
(i)
Peking
(a) The sovereignty over the whole of Hongkong belongs to the People's Republic of China and the existence of unequal
treaties signed by the Ching Government and Great Britain cannot be recognised.
(b) The present prosperity of Hongkong rests on its political and economic system and as this prosperity is of vital importance to the modernization of China, the existing system should, for a period of time, be maintained.