A
COMPATIBILITY OF CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS WITH BASIC LAW
11.
about
of
the
The Chinese have given no guarantees that recent
constitutional developments will be endorsed by the Basic
Law.
This is increasingly giving rise to questions in
Hong Kong
how to en sure the compatibility
developments with the Chinese Law. While it will clearly
be necessary for there to be informal contacts with the
f ew years
compatibility, any statement to this
Chinese over
maximum degree
the next
of
to
ensure
the
effect would be very damaging to confidence in Hong Kong, where it would be interpreted as capitulation to Peking.
DEBATE IN LEGCO ON BASIC LAW
press
concern to Hong
Hong Kong's people was
12. A newly elected LEGCO member, Mr Martie Lee QC (who also happens to be a member of the Chinese-appointed Basic Law Drafting Committee) has said that he intends to propose
a debate in LEGCO on the Basic Law. The Chinese consider
the Basic Law
matter a
exclusively for the Chinese
Government and the Prime Minister said publicly in Hong
Kong on 21 December 1984 that its actual drafting would
indeed be
be for them. If the Hong Kong Government allows a
debate there could therefore be Chinese protests.
If they
do not allow a debate however, there could be Hong Kong
criticism that free
on speech
matter of vital
A being suppressed.
possible
follow (which we have put
Governor at official level) would be to allow a debate to
take place if pressure for one became great, for the Hong
Kong Government to make clear during the debate that it considered the drafting of the Basic Law a matter for the
Chinese Government, and to explain Our intentions to the Chinese in advance in the hope of defusing objections. This question is still under consideration and it would be safest for Mr Renton, if pressed on the matter in public,
to course
to say that it is a question for LEGCO.
a
to
the
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