TRANSLATION
1041/4/05
Extract from the Mirror Issue No. 100 (November/1985)
Background of the Controversy over the Political System of Hong Kong among Hong kong Government Officials
by 100 Shing-fai
September 1985 marked the first anniversary of the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the future of Hong kong, Hong Kong has passed the first year after the signing of the Joint Declaration in a peaceful but cautious atmosphere.
In the year, China
has remained silent on all policies applied by the British side in order to avoid causing any misunderstanding that China has interfered with the administration of the Hong kong Government. The British side
has also taken care to avoid any direct official involvement in the preparation for and discussions on the Basic Law for the Hong kong Special Administrative Region. It has merely given assistance to and made things easy for members of the Executive and Legislative Councils as well as high-ranking Government officials who joined the basic Law Drafting Committee and the Basic Law Consultative Committee.
In the year, the impression made on people is that both the Chinese and British sides have tried hard to build up an atmosphere of harmonious co-operation. Their primary common interest is in the preservation of the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong in the transition period. Therefore, both sides have strived to prevent the occurrence of any incident which may make Hong Kong people uneasy
or panic.
Differences of Upinion between China and U.K.
However, the views of the two sides on the territory's political system after 1997 are not likely to be entirely the same. From the point of view of the British side, to extend the leadership of the existing pro-British Establishment beyond 1997 for the sake of safeguarding Eritish economic interest is a matter of the utmost concern.
/To the Chinese side.