Date
30.4.86 (cont'd)
1.5.86
BASIC LAW (88)
Statements by Chinese
Officials
Newspaper Comments/Editorials Nor-Communist
Communist
Statements/Comments
by others
items, including a
definition of "local
inhabitants" as used in
the draft Basic Law
structure.
NCNA HK Director Xu Jiatun: In principle what went on at meetings of
BLDC sub-groups should be made public. But when the discussions touched on controversial issues, there might be a need to keep the proceedings confidential in order to facilitate the exchange of views among members.
forward any proposals on HK's political system before a mutual understanding had been reached. He hoped that a first draft on the political structure would be completed at an early date to ensure
convergence with the 1987 review in HK. Drastic changes to the existing political
system would harm the local economy.
A visiting law professor from University of Virginia who had taken part in drafting the Constitution of the State of Virginia: Actual arrangements to implement the Basic Law would be more important than what would be in the law. The Virginian experience in drafting its constitution could be used as reference in Basic Law drafting as the relationship between the HK SAR and the central government might be similar to that. between a state in the
US and the federal government.