the draft Basic Law (paragraphs 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8,
2.12 and 2.14). The Joint Declaration provides that the
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basic policies of the People's Republic of China
regarding Hong Kong as stated in the Joint Declaration
will be stipulated in the Basic Law. The Government have
a legitimate right, as joint signatories to the Joint
Declaration, to require that it should do so fully. The
Basic Law will establish the basis for Hong Kong's future
for at least 50 years after 1997. It will crucially
affect the way in which Hong Kong people view the future
and their commitment to the territory. It is therefore
rritory.
of the greatest importance that the drafting of the Basic
Hurtur Law should take full account of the concerns of Hong Kong
people and that the final version should be in a form
which commands their confidence and enjoys the widest
possible support in the territory. We have made our
views on these matters known to the Chinese Government
through a number of Kannels:
ls: but the Committee will undertand
readily appreciate that if these representations are to be effective, it is essential that their confidentiality Mun
should be respected. The Committee will therefore
Specific
no
understand why the Government cannot/make any detailed
observations on the Committee's recommendations on these
matters at this stage.
7. The Committee recommends (paragraph 2.9) that the
Hong Kong Government should begin work on a review of
existing Hong Kong legislation to identify areas which
might be seen as conflicting in some way with the
International Covenants
NOW underway
nants on Human Rights. This work is
The Committee will be aware that the