Redacted under FOI Exemption S 27(1)
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HKCK
GR 680
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DESK BY 131200Z FCO
FM PEKING 13094OZ JUN 34
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1110 OF 13 JUNE
INFO HONG KONG
153)
INDEX
No
ел
01113
TOP COPY
13 JUN1504
PEGISTRY
YOUR TELNO 601: FUTURE EGRET: CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND
GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE
1. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS INVOLVED:
THE ELECTION/SELECTION OF THE GOVERNOR SEMICOLON AND THE
PROPOSED CIRCUMSCRIPTION OF THE GOVERNOR'S POWERS.
ELECTION/SELECTION OF THE GOVERNOR
2. I AGREE THAT SUCH INDICATIONS AS WE HAVE HAD SUGGEST THAT
THE CHINESE WOULD PREFER THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE SAR TO BE
SELECTED, AT LEAST INITIALLY, RATHER THAN ELECTED AFTER 1997
I ALSO AGREE THAT THEY WOULD REACT AGAINST THE PUBLICATION OF
CUR PROPOSALS IF THEY HAD NOT BEEN FOREWARNED. I SUGGEST
THEREFORE THAT WE GIVE THEM AN ADVANCE COPY SHORTLY BEFORE
PUBLICATION AND, AFTER THERE HAS BEEN TIME FOR A REACTION IN
HONG KONG, WHICH HOPEFULLY WILL BE FAVOURABLE, THAT WE TRY HARD TO PERSUADE THE CHINESE TO ACCEPT THE PROPOSALS (SEE MY TELNO 1027).
3. DESPITE CHINESE PREFERENCES IT WOULD, I BELIEVE, DE HARD FOR THE CHINESE TO RESIST OR REVERSE THE PROPOSAL FOR THE ELECTION
OF THE GOVERNOR IF THIS RECEIVED WIDE-SPREAD SUPPORT IN HONG KONG.
CLEARLY ELECTION, IF NOT REVERSED BY THE CHINESE IN 1997, WOULD
BE BEST FOR US. OBJECTIONS WHICH THEY MIGHT RAISE COULD TO SOME
EXTENT BE FORESTALLED BY AMENDING THE SECOND SENTENCE OF PARAGRAPH
38 OF THE GREEN PAPER TO INCLUDE SOME LANGUAGE FROM THE PROPOSAL
MADE BY THE CHINESE THEMSELVES. THE GOVERNOR HAS TELEGRAPHED
SEPARATELY WITH A FORMULA (PEKING TELNO 39 TO HONG KONG).
CIRCUMSCRIPTION OF THE GOVERNOR'S POWERS
4. ON THE PROPOSED CIRCUMSCRIPTION OF THE COVERNOR'S POWERS AND,
BY EXTENSION, THE POWERS OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE, I THINK
WE NEED TO BEAR IN MIND THAT, WHATEVER THE CHINESE MAY BE Uo
THEY WILL SEEK TO HOLD US RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION
CF HONG KONG UNTIL 1997. IF DIFFICULTIES AROSE, AND IF WE THEN ARGUED THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO OVERPULE EXCO BECAUSE THE GOVERNOR'S POWERS HAD BEEN AMENDED, THIS WOULD CUT NO ICE.
5. AGAINST THAT MUST BE WEIGHED THE ADVANTAGE OF INSTITUTING
A SYSTEM OF FULL POLITICAL AUTONOMY IN HONG KONG WHICH IF
LEFT AS IS AFTER 1397, OUGHT TO INSULATE THE SAR FROM PEKING
TO A CONSIDERABLE EXTENT.
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