The Nature Of The Problem
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2. At present the administration of Hong Kong is the responsibility of the Governor of Hong Kong, appointed by The Queen. Ministers
have adopted the planning assumption that a resident British Governor, appointed from London, should be retained up to 1997.
3. From 1 July 1997, under the provisions of the Joint Declaration, a Chief Executive will be appointed for the Hong Kong SAR. He will be a local inhabitant, selected by election or consultation.
4.
The present powers
of the Governor and the future powers of the
Chief Executive will not be identical. At present, although in
practice Hong Kong already exercises a high degree of autonomy, the
Governor is constitutionally subject to the directions of HMG. Under the Joint Declaration the Hong Kong SAR will also enjoy a high degree of autonomy (except in foreign and defence affairs). However the powers and responsibilities of the Chief Executive have yet to be defined by the Chinese Government in the Basic Law of the Hong
Kong SAR. The Chinese seem to envisage that he will not exercise
all the powers over
on the internal administration which,
not in practice, the Governor at present enjoys.
paper if
Chinese intentions
5.
Basic Law for
is
the Chinese drafting of
the Hong Kong SAR
already under way, and
and a first draft will be published in 1988. At
the Chinese present
to appear
envisage that the first Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR would be chosen before 1997 but would assume a role in the administration only on 1 July 1997.
6.
in
instructions, in their
before 1 July 1997 of a
formally integrated into
It is only realistic to recognise that as 1997 approaches the
of people
Hong Kong and their
will be representatives increasingly close contact with the Chinese. They will increasingly look to the Chinese for approval, if not approach to public business. The existence Chief Executive designated by China but not the Government structure would constitute a potentially dangerous alternative focus of political power. This could cause political
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