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CONFIDENTIAL
FROM:
DATE:
цвет чана Um Leeba
CO Hum
22 September 1976
377
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Mr Fifoot Legal Advisers
cc Dr Wilson
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
Thank you.
F25019
14 OCT 1986
23 ix 19
(376
DESK OFFICER
OEMISTRY
INDEX
PA
Action Taken
HONG KONG: STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT
1.
Thank you for your minute of 18 September about how
the Basic Law might deal with the composition of the
legislature.
2.
As it happens this point came up in the discussions
which Dr Wilson and I had with the Governor. We see some
disadvantage if the composition of the legislature can be changed only by an amendment
amendment to the Basic Law. As a very
general rule it would seem undesirable for the Basic Law to
be amend ed too readily or too frequently, because of the
obvious risk that this would
would create precedents that could
be used to the detriment of Hong Kong's autonomy. At the
same time
time we agree that the Chinese would wish to have the
last word on any proposal to vary the composition of the legislature.
3.
A possible compromise that occurred to us was a
provision in the Basic Law to the effect that the
legislature would have the following composition: that composition could henceforth be varied by a two thirds
majority vote in the legislature, subject to the approval
of the National People's Congress. This approach would
allow for flexibility; give the legislature power to
initiate a change in its composition; but leave the last word with the Chinese where they no doubt feel it should
belong.
Conten
22 September 1986
CO Hum
Hong Kong Department
CONFIDENTIAL