EE NAP '89 14:19
FROM C21 TECH PAITO
TO FCO NEWS
PAGE CI
TRANSCRIPT A HONG KONG SELECT CONXITTER XEETLIG 22 IAR 89
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ER POVLANDS (COFT);
I wonder whether you could tell us whether the second draft
fulfils the letter and spirit of the Joint Declaration and what
your assessment is of the improved draft?
FOREICH SECRETARY:
Let me just amplify a little bit the way in which we are
seeking to satisfy ourselves, as we say in paragraph 42 of the
Memorandum. We recognise of course that the drafting process is
being undertaken by a Committee of the Chinese Parliament in
effect so the process is for them.
But we have been following it extremely closely, right the
way through the successive draïts, in a series of dialogues with
the Chinese authorities, they of course have got in place the
Basic Law Drafting Committee and the Basic Law Consultative
Committee, with a strong representation of opinion from Hong Kong.
But quite aside from that, for example, I have met my
Chinese opposite number nine times since the Joint Declaration was
signed. We meet every year at the UN General Assembly, we have
There have been other met in many capitals around the world.
contacts of course between the Kinister of State and the Vice
Foreign Minister in China and then the Basic Law Committee itself
has been at work and the Governor of Hong Kong is in regular
contact with officials in China.
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