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CONSULTATION WITH THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG
15. From the beginning of the negotiations Her Majesty's Government
have been conscious that the negotiations concerned the interests
and future of the five and a half million people of Hong Kong. I t
has been Her Majesty's Government's consistent position that any
agreement with the Chinese Government on the future of the territory
should be acceptable to the people of Hong Kong as well as
British Parliament and the Chinese Government.
to the
16.
The negotiations had to be conducted on a basis of
confidentiality. This was crucial to their success, but the
maintenance of confidentiality also caused much concern and anxiety among the people of Hong Kong who were understandably anxious to know what was being negotiated for their future. All members of the Executive Council, as
as the Governor's closest advisers, were kept fully informed on the negotiations and consulted on a continuing
basis throughout the period. The Unofficial members of the
Executive and Legislative Councils (UMELCO) provided invaluable
advice to the Governor and to Ministers on the course of the
negotiations and on the attitude of the people of Hong Kong.
17.
At a number of crucial points in the negotiations the Governor
and Unofficial members of the Executive Council visited London for
consultations with the Prime Minister and other Ministers. British
Ministers also paid a series of visits to Hong Kong, to consult the
Governor, the Executive Council and the Unofficial members of the
Executive and Legislative Councils and to keep in touch with opinion
in the territory. The Secretary of State for Foreign and
Commonwealth Affairs was able to describe the approach of Her
Majesty's Government to the negotiations in his statement in Hong
Kong on 20 April 1984, and to fill in more details of the content of
the agreement in a further statement in the territory on 1 August
1984. In the course of the negotiations, and in particular since the statement of 20 April, numerous individuals and groups in Hong Kong have made specific proposals on what should be included in an
eventual agreement. The Legislative Council of Hong Kong has
debated the future of the territory on a number of occasions. Her
Majesty's Government has paid close attention to these expressions
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