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HONG KONG: 1987 REVIEW OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT
INTRODUCTION
1. This paper considers our strategy in handling this year's review
of representative government in Hong Kong; its timing: contacts
with the Chinese; and possible outcomes.
THE BRITISH AND CHINESE POSITIONS
2. We have made commitments to Parliament and to the Hong Kong
people that a review of representative government will be conducted
in 1987; that there will be a process of public consultation on the
basis of a Green Paper before proposals are put forward in a White
Paper; and that issues left over from the similar 1984 exercise,
including the possible introduction of a directly elected element
into LegCo, will be for consideration.
3. The Chinese have a long-standing aversion to the
introduction of direct elections in Hong Kong and remain profoundly
suspicious of our motives and intentions in this connection. These
suspicions were particularly apparent when Vice-Foreign Minister
Zhou Nan spoke to the late Governor in early December 1986. They
now appear to accept, albeit reluctantly, that the review must take
place and that the Green Paper must refer to direct elections. But
they continue to insist that no decision should be taken to
introduce direct elections before the promulgation of the Basic Law
in 1990. They have asked to see the texts of the Green and White
papers long enough in advance of publication quote to permit study
unquote.
4. A paramount concern of the Chinese is to avoid a position in
which our White Paper proposes the introduction of an element of
direct elections in 1988. They consider that this would pre-empt
decisions by them on the post-1997 arrangements which are enshrined in the Basic Law.
They would then be faced with a choice
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