(c)
BLDC will
then
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produce revised draft for
submission to the NPC Standing Committee in
1990, which will then be promulgated.
be
We have no standing in the drafting of the Basic Law and the
Chinese are very sensitive to any suggestion that we can dictate policies for the Special Administrative Region, which will
part of China after 1 July 1997. We hope however to be able to
influence drafting process through informal contacts.
The
crucial aspect for us is that the Basic Law should accurately
reflect the Agreement.
Constitutional Development
5.
The first indi rect elections to the LEGOO took place on
26 September 1985. 24 members out of a new Council of 56 were
chosen, 12 of them by an electoral college of District Board, Urban Council and Regional Council (i.e. local government
level) members and 12 by functional constituencies representing
main professional, commercial and other groups. The remaining
32 continue to be appointed by the Governor.
A review of
progress towards representative Government is to be carried out
in 1987.
6. In April of
of last
last year Sir Y K Pao expressed the view to Sir
Percy Cradock that movement towards representative government in
Hong Kong was too fast: he indicated that this was the Chinese
view. Premier Zhao Ziyang raised this same concern wi th the
Prime Minister in October. Chinese concerns have focussed
particularly upon the 1987 review, which will include the
question of whether direct elections should be introduced in
1988 to choose some
some of the legislative Council's members. The
Chinese are concerned that this review is
is an attempt by HMG to
introduce far-reaching "democratic reforms" and thus preempt the
constitutional arrangements which they are to draft for the
territory, and which will not be published (as a draft "Basic
Law") until 1988. We have been at pains to explain to the
Chinese that we a re committed to the 1987 review; but
that we
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