9
Chinese Government are drafting to give legal
effect, under their own constitution, to the
arrangements set out in the Joint Declaration.
They are consulting widely in Hong Kong about
the drafting of the Basic Law. It has been a
remarkably open legislative process, as I said
in Parliament on 15 July. The first draft of
the Basic Law was published in April; the
Chinese have made it plain that they do not
regard it as perfect and that it will be
amended in the light of comments on it.
- I explained the British Government's position
on the Basic Law in Parliament. As
co-signatories of the Joint Declaration we
have the right and the responsibility to