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THE JOINT
ESTABLISHMENT OF A SINO-BRITISH JOINT LIAISON GROUP. LIAISON GROUP WILL BE ESTABLISHED ON THE ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE FROM 1 AGREEMENT AND WILL MEET IN PEKING, LONDON AND HONG KONG. JULY 1988 IT WILL BE BASED IN HONG KONG, ALTHOUGH IT WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO MEET IN PEKING AND LONDON. IT WILL CONTINUE ITS WORK UNTIL 1 JANUARY 2000. THE ANNEX INCLUDES TERMS OF REFERENCE WHICH CLEARLY INDICATE THAT THE GROUP WILL BE A FORUM FOR LIAISON ONLY AND NOT AN ORGAN OF POWER. IT WILL NEITHER PLAY A PART IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF HONG KONG OR HAVE ANY SUPERVISORY ROLE. 22. ANNEX THREE SETS OUT PROVISIONS GOVERNING LAND. SQUARE BRACKETS START TO BE EXPANDED. SQUARE BRACKETS END 23. THE AGREEMENT SETS OUT CLEARLY THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PROVISIONS WHICH IT CONTAINS AND THE BASIC LAW OF THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION, TO BE PROMULGATED BY THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS OF THE PRC. ARTICLE 3(12) OF THE JOINT
DECLARATION PROVIDES THAT THE BASIC POLICIES IN THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE ELABORATION OF THEM IN ANNEX 1 WILL BE STIPULATED IN THE BASIC LAW. THEY WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED FOR 50
YEARS.
24.
PART THREE OF THIS WHITE PAPER CONTAINS FURTHER EXPLANATORY NOTES ON THE TEXT OF THE AGREEMENT AND ITS ANNEXES.
VIEWS OF HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT ON THE AGREEMENT
25. AS RECORDED IN PARA 17 ABOVE, HMG HAVE SOUGHT SINCE THE AUTUMN OF 1983 TO SEE WHETHER ON THE BASIS OF PROPOSALS PUT FORWARD BY CHINA ARRANGEMENTS COULD BE CONSTRUCTED WHICH WOULD
THE ENSURE LASTING STABILITY AND PROSPERITY FOR HONG KONG. NEGOTIATIONS HAVE BEEN HARD AND LONG, AND SUBJECT TO THE COMMON AIM OF BOTH SIDES TO MAINTAIN STABILITY AND PROSPERITY IN HONG KONG, HAVE ALSO NEEDED TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE POLITICAL REQUIREMENTS OF BOTH SIDES.
26.
TAKING THE AGREEMENT AS A WHOLE HMG HAVE NO DOUBT THAT IT DOES PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK IN WHICH THE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG CAN BE MAINTAINED AFTER 1997 AS A SPECIAL
ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, AND HAVE NO HESITATION IN COMMENDING IT TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND TO
PARLIAMENT.
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