CONTIDENTIAL
4
HKK 02716
RECEIVED IN KEGISTRY
2 1 OCT 1985
213
GRS 700
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 2218
OF 181OOOZ OCTOBER 85
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
VISIT OF MR. RENTON
BRIEFING TELEGRAM : BASIC LAW
LINE TO TAKE
THE ACTUAL DRAFTING OF THE BASIC LAW IS A MATTER FOR THE CHINESE
GOVERNMENT.
2. SINCE BASIC LAW WILL STIPULATE PRC POLICIES REGARDING HONG
KONG, AS STATED IN PARA. 3 OF JOINT DECLARATION AND ELABORATED
IN ANNEX I, ITS MAIN CONTENT IS GENERALLY KNOWN.
3. CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS STATED THAT, IN DRAFTING THE BASIC
LAW, THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WILL BE SOLICITED ON A
WIDE BASIS. WE WELCOME THIS WHOLEHEARTEDLY AND TRUST THAT THE
VIEWS OF HONG KONG MEMBERS OF THE BASIC LAW DRAFTING COMMITTEE
AND THOSE OF THE BASIC LAW CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE WILL BE TAKEN
INTO ACCOUNT.
BACKGROUND
4. PARAGRAPH 3(12) OF THE JOINT DECLARATION PROVIDES THAT THE
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA'S POLICIES REGARDING HONG KONG, AS
SET OUT IN THE JOINT DECLARATION AND ITS ANNEX I, WILL BE
STIPULATED IN A BASIC LAW TO BE ENACTED BY THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S
CONGRESS OF THE PRC. IN JUNE 1985, A BASIC LAW DRAFTING COMMITTEE
(BLDC) CONSITING OF 59 PERSONS (OF WHICH 23 WERE FROM HONG KONG)
WAS ESTABLISHED. THE DRAFTING COMMITTEE HELD ITS FIRST SESSION IN
BEIJING IN JULY 1985, AND RESOLVED THAT ITS HONG KONG MEMBERS SHOULD
TAKE ACTION TO ESTABLISH A BASIC LAW CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE (BLCC).
IN SEPTEMBER 1985, THE CONSTITUTION OF THE BLCC WAS FORMALLY
ADOPTED, AND ACTION IS IN HAND TO ESTABLISH A BLCC BEFORE THE END
OF THE YEAR WITH 150 SEATS OF WHICH 101 ARE ALLOCATED TO SPECIFIED
ORGANISATIONS AND 49 TO BE FILLED BY INDIVIDUALS THROUGH INVITATION.
5. AT THE FIRST MEETING OF THE BASIC LAW DRAFTING COMMITTEE IN
JULY 1985, MR. JI PENGFEI, THE DIRECTOR OF THE COMMITTEE, STATED
THE FOLLOWING TIMETABLE FOR THE ENACTMENT OF THE BASIC LAW:
1985 (SECOND HALF) RESEARCH AND CONSULTATION WITH HK PEOPLE ON
VIEWS AND SUGGESTIONS.
-
1936 (FIRST QUARTER) SECOND MEETING OF BLDC TO DECIDE ON SCOPE
AND GENERAL CONTENT.
CONDENTI L
/1986-87