CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 1120
OF 11095OZ APRIL 89
CONFIDENTIAL
HKB 012/1
NE 12/4
84
137706
MDLIAN 1836
TOP COPY 6 Q DIST ?
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
€83
YOUR TELNO 807 : BASIC LAW: WAY FORWARD
THANK YOU FOR TUR AND FIFOOT'S LATEST COMMENTS FAXED TO US. WE HAVE IN PARALLEL STUDIED THE FEBRUARY 1989 DRAFT OF THE BASIC LAW AND PREPARED A LIST OF MAJOR DEFECTS STILL FOUND IN THIS DRAFT. THE LIST HAS TAKEN ACCOUNT OF THE VARIOUS POINTS YOU HAVE RAISED EARLIER. WHEN FINALISED, IT COULD FORM THE BASIS FOR DIALOGUE WITH OUR INTERLOCUTORS ON BLDC AND BLCC AND FOR A MEETING WITH THE CHINESE LEGAL EXPERTS (SEE PARA 2 BELOW). WE HAVE ALSO PREPARED A
LINGUISTIC CRITIQUE ON THE OFFICIAL ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE LATEST DRAFT. SUBJECT TO YOUR VIEWS, WE SUGGEST SENDING IT TO THE CHINESE SIDE BEFORE THEIR EXPERTS PROCEED TO IMPROVE ON THE PRESENT TRANSLATION (SEE PARA 3 OF OUR TELNO 925). COPIES OF BOTH CRITIQUES
ARE BEING SENT TO YOU BY BAG. GRATEFUL FOR YOUR EARLY COMMENTS.
2. SOME OF THE DEFECTS IN THE LATEST DRAFT ARE INTRACTABLE AND MIGHT BEST BE DEALT WITH IN A FACE-TO-FACE MEETING WITH THE CHINESE
LEGAL EXPERTS. IN VIEW OF THE VISITS OF MAINLAND BLDC MEMBERS TO HONG KONG IN THE COMING MONTHS, WE SEE ADVANTAGE IN SEEKING A LEGAL EXPERTS MEETING IN PEKING IN JUNE. WE HAVE IN MIND THE THREE WEEKS BETWEEN THE SECOND AND THE THIRD VISITS, I.E. 6 23 JUNE (SUBJECT TO CONFIRMATION OF THE AVAILABLITY OF DAVID LITTLE WHO IS NOW IN LONDON). BY THEN, ALREADY THREE MONTHS INTO THE CONSULTATION PERIOD FOR THE LATEST DRAFT AND AFTER TWO VISITS OF MAINLAND DRAFTERS, THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD AIRING OF THE MAJOR CONCERNS. THIS TIMING WOULD ALSO ENABLE US TO RESPOND TO ANY POINTS RAISED BY THE CHINESE EXPERTS WELL IN ADVANCE OF OCTOBER WHEN THE BLDC SPECIAL GROUPS WILL BE MEETING TO CONSIDER OPINIONS RECEIVED.
*
3 WE FURTHER SUGGEST SEEKING A MEETING WITH THE TRANSLATORS ON THE CHINESE SIDE, PREFERABLY ALSO IN JUNE. SINCE SHAO TIANREN MIGHT NOT WISH TO GET INVOLVED IN TRANSLATION TECHNICALITIES, THE MEETING COULD PROBABLY BE CONDUCTED AT A LOWER LEVEL AND IF SO WE PROPOSE THAT DAVID LITTLE SHOULD LEAD OUR SIDE, SUPPORTED BY OFFICERS FROM GDB.
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