CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 191200Z FCO
TELNO 270
OF 19100OZ JANUARY 88
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
46
CONFIDENTIAL
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
! MUCB 040/2
2 0 JAN 1988
161340 MDHIAN 4107
FOLLOWING PERSONAL FOR HUM, HKD, FROM GOVERNOR
YOUR TELNO 146 AND PEKING TELNO 102
HONG KONG : BASIC LAW
P
PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE ON
BEEN
1 I SEE NO OBJECTION TO SAYING THAT THE BASIC LAW HAS ''A THEME OF OUR CONTACTS WITH THE CHINESE. INDEED, I HAVE MADE A POINT OF SAYING PUBLICLY, DURING MY TWO RECENT VISITS TO PEKING.
THAT THE CHINESE BRIEFED ME ON THE PROGRESS IN EDRAFTING THE BASIC LAW: SO IT IS WIDELY KNOWN THAT THE SUBJECT HAS BEEN RAISED AND IT MUST BE EQUALLY WIDELY ASSUMED THAT THE DISCUSSION HAS BEEN TWO-SIDED.
2. I HAVE NOTED PEKING'S COMMENTS ON THE FINAL SENTENCE OF THE SAME PASSAGE. A STRONG DECLARATION OF HMG'S INTENT TO MONITOR THE DRAFTING OF BASIC LAW AND TO ENSURE THAT IT COMPLIES WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION WOULD BE A PLUS FROM THE HONG KONG POINT OF VIEW, ALTHOUGH IT WOULD LEAD TO QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW AND ON WHAT PARTICULAR ISSUES YOU PROPOSE TO DO THIS THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WILL HAVE IN ANY CASE TO CONSIDER FURTHER. IF HOWEVER YOU FEEL THAT YOU SHOULD TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE POINT MADE BY PEKING, AN ALTERNATIVE VERSION OF THE LAST SIX SENTENCES OF THE PASSAGE MIGHT BE AS FOLLOWS
''THE DRAFTING OF THE BASIC LAW IS OF COURSE AN EXERCISE CONDUCTED BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. WE WELCOME THE EFFORTS MADE BY CHINA TO INVOLVE HONG KONG PEOPLE. ALMOST HALF THE MEMBERS OF THE BASIC LAW DRAFTING COMMITTEE COME FROM HONG KONG, AND THE BASIC LAW CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE IN THE TERRITORY HAS A VITAL ROLE IN REFLECTING HONG KONG VIEWS. THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAVE MADE A COMMITMENT IN THE JOINT DECLARATION THAT THE BASIC LAW WILL STIPULATE THE POLICIES OUTLINED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION AND ITS ANNEX I. WE, FOR OUR PART, ARE NATURALLY FOLLOWING THE DRAFTING PROCESS WITH THE GREATEST INTEREST AND IT HAS BEEN A THEME OF OUR CONTACTS WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT OVER THE PAST
YEAR. ''
WILSON
1
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