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In Confidence
DSR 11C (Revised 5/87)
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
basic policies of the People's Republic of China
regarding Hong Kong as stated in the Joint Declaration
The Government have will be stipulated in the Basic Law.
The
a legitimate right, as joint signatories to the Joint
Declaration, to require that it should do so fully.
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
of the greatest importance that the drafting of the Basic
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
We have made our possible support in the territory.
views on these matters known to the Chinese Government
through a number of channels: but the Committee will
readily appreciate that if these representations are to
be effective, it is essential that their confidentiality
should be respected. The Committee will therefore
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 on Human Rights.
now underway.
This work is
The Committee will be aware that the