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bound by the terms of the Joint Declaration to consult. sought to go ahead without consultation with the Chinese the objective of a smooth transition, brought about in cooperation with China, could not be achieved.
14.
If the Chief Executive (Designate) whom we would nave appointed for the period immediately before 199/ is to move
to move into ortice when the Hong Kong SAR comes into being, then the candidate must be one acceptable to both the British and Chinese Governments and appointed after consultation between them. A candidate unacceptable to China would be replaced on 1 July 1997: the object of the exercise would
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15 But it would be incorrect to conclude that this consultation would concede to China a dangerous degree of influence over Hong Kong before 1997. HMG would retain full responsibility for the administration of Hong Kong up to 30 June 1997, as the Joint Declaration provides. We would retain control over the process by which the Chief Executive (Designate) was appointed. The delegation or devolution of powers to him could be effected gradually. They Would, in the last resort, be resumed if the need arose, either/ because of his inadequacy or because of external factors. could be no question of HMG agreeing to appoint a Chief Executive (Designate) favoured by the Chinese if he was unacceptable to ourselves or to the people of Hong Kong. In fact we would/acquire enhanced influence over the course of events in the Hong Kong SAR after 1997 because the creation of the office of Chief Executive and the nomination of the incumbent would have been a matte consultation between the Chinese and ourselves.
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16. A number of consequential issues are examined in the Annex to this paper.
Ministers will wish to note the implications of what is proposed: but these do not require Ministerial decision at this stage. Such decisions could only be taken once the general concept has been explained to the Chinese and they have been drawn into
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