CODE 18,77

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Mr Walker Research Dept

261

Reference..........

57

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'PAI SHING' ARTICLE OF 1 JANUARY ON IDEA OF AUTONOMOUS HONG KONG

1.

The last part of the attached article suggests, as I understand it, that the establishment of a special administrative region with a legal system which differed from the rest of China would contravene China's constitution.

2.

Given that article 31 of the revised constitution seems to offer scope for just about anything, I have my doubts about the validity of the writer's claim. I should be grateful for comments.

р.с

20 January 1983

cc:

Mr Thomson

Mr Morris

HKGD

271

Hkkо40/1

27 JAN1983

W Morris

Hong Kong and General Department K 221

233 3722

1. The editor of 'Pai Shing' has drawn attention to an inconsistency in the Chinese Constitution, between Article 5 which provides that the State upholds the "uniformity" (Tongyi) of the socialist legal system and goes on to say that no law or administrative or local rules and regulations shall contravene the Constitution" and Article 31 which provides that "the system is to be instituted in special administrative regions shall be prescribed by law enacted by the National People's Congress in the light of specific conditions", but he is scarcely an authoritative commentator on

/matters

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