SECRET
as hard a bargain as we can
behalf of Hong Kong. The
to
advantages
of obtaining Chinese agreement a complete system of autonomous representative government before 1997, with an
an elected Governor,
make the final option outlined above (Option D) also seem
attractive.
12.
The choice therefore seems to lie between options C and D. The
proposal for a Chief Minister has the attraction of maintaining a
focus of British authority and moving appreciably towards ап elected
Chief Executive, on the assumption that the Chinese would accept
that the Governorship should simply disappear after 1997– The
Governor, however, is firmly opposed to this idea because of the
risk of the Chinese taking over the "governorship" after 1997. He
also opposes the establishment of a joint group based in Hong Kong,
and to that important extent is against option D as well, although
he accepts that the elected Governor would not be the
Commander-in-Chief and that HMG would retain reserve powers covering Foreign affairs and the right
right to dismiss the Governor if the exceeded
his powers.
PROCEDURE
we
I a
13.
The question of consultation with the Chinese is difficult.
order to underline our continuing responsibility up to 1997,
would prefer to inform rather than to consult them on constitutional
questions. This, however, is probably impracticable where the
Governorship is concerned. We should be in an impossible position
if we published proposals which Peking then attacked publicly.
must first decide what our aims on the governorship are and then
float them with the Chinese separately from, but in the context of,
the Green Paper proposals of which we shall shortly inform them.
We
14. This is another point on which we disagree with the
which
Governor.
He believes that there is little prospect of obtaining the specific
agreement of the Chinese to the idea of an elected Govermor and that
by seeking their approval we would be accepting that they should
have the power of veto. He also considers that there is. a chance that the Chinese would not attack a publicly-floated proposition
an elected Governor should follow elections to the Executive
that