1
CONFIDENTIAL
There could be some parliamentary questioning of why it is necessary
to legislate so far in advance for the termination of sovereignty.
The answer is that we need to legislate so that we can ratify the
The reason why we negotiated and concluded an
agreement.
agreement
now rather than closer to 1997 was to give Hong Kong the certainty
that it needed if stability and prosperity were to be maintained and
if planning for the future was to be possible. The date on which the termination of sovereignty will take place is known and is not a
matter for any further negotiation. There is therefore no reason to
avoid including the necessary provisions in the Bill.
CONFIDENTIAL