CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 29100OZ FCO
TELNO 3227
OF 29090OZ SEPTEMBER 89
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
HKB 011 15
005125 MDHIAN 7737
59
YOUR TELNO 1955: LEGCO ADDRESS
THANKYOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. TAKING THESE IN ORDER:
(A) PARA 7:
(I) AGREED.
(II) THE POINT BECOMES VERY BLAND IF THERE IS NO QUALIFYING
ODJECTIVE. ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS FOR NOT GETTING INVOLVED IN CHINA'S POLITICS IS THAT THEY ARE INDEED TURBULENT AND THOSE WHO DO SO GET THEIR FINGERS BURNED. I WOULD PREFER TO STICK TO THE ORIGINAL
TEXT UNLESS YOU AND PEKING SEE STRONG OBJECTIONS.
(B) PARA 39:
(I) I THINK WE NEED AN INDICATION THAT WE TOO ARE RESPONSIVE TO A
CONSENSUS IN THE COMMUNITY, PARTICULARLY IF IT AFFECTS 1991. THIS IS NOT SIMPLY A QUESTION FOR BASIC LAW DRAFTERS. THE SENTENCE MIGHT HOWEVER READ BETTER: ''THE GOVERNMENT WOULD ALSO WISH TO RESPOND
POSITIVELY.
▪ -
1 T
(II) REMOVING THIS PHRASE WOULD LEAVE THE SECTION ON REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT VERY NEUTRAL: MORE SO INDEED THAN WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID PUBLICLY BY MINISTERS AND MYSELF. UNLESS MINISTERS THINK
STRONGLY TO THE CONTRARY, I THINK THE PHRASE SHOULD REMAIN.
(III) ALREADY DELETED IN MY TELNO 3208
(C) PARA 41: AGREED. THE BE REDRAFTED AS ''REFOCUSSED PUBLIC ATTENTION ON SOME PARTS OF THE BASIC LAW''
(E) PARA 47: THESE THREE SUGGESTIONS WOULD MAKE THE PARAGRAPH SOUND VERY PEDANTIC. THE POINT IS THAT HONG KONG IS PART OF THE BRITISH SIDE AND PLAYS THAT PART TO THE FULL. I QUESTION WHETHER THE WAY I
HAVE PHRASED IT REALLY TREADS UNNECESSARILY ON SENSITIVE TOES. I
1
PAGE
CONFIDENTIAL