CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 3454
OF 16103OZ OCTOBER 89
HKB
012 11
for
TOP COM
Q DIST
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, HKGO WASHINGTON
057240
MDLIAN 8613
HKGO WASHINGTON PLEASE PASS COPY TO LEEKS, PS/GH HONG KONG VISITING
BASIC LAW: SEMINAR FOR NPC MEMBERS IN PEKING: PRESS REPORTS
1. THE LOCAL PRESS GAVE PROMINENT COVERAGE TO A RELEASE BY THE NCNA
ON A SEMINAR ON THE BL ORGANISED BY THE BLDC SECRETARIAT ON 14 OCTOBER FOR BEIJING-BASED MEMBERS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE, THE LAW COMMITTEE AND THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE OF THE NPC. VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THE SEMINAR WERE IN LINE WITH THE HARD-LINE POSITION CHINA HAS ADOPTED ON THE BL.
2. THE SEMINAR WAS CHAIRED BY NPC VICE-CHAIRMAN AND BLDC DEPUTY DIRECTOR WANG HANBIN. LI HOU, LU PING AND ANOTHER DRAFTER LEI JIEQIONG WERE ALSO PRESENT.
3. AS REGARDS VIEWS IN HK ON NON-STATIONING OF THE PLA COR ALTERNATIVELY, A SYMBOLIC PRESENCE OF THE PLA) AND THE FULL DELEGATION TO THE SAR OF THE POWERS TO INTERPRET THE BL AND TO DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY, THE SEMINAR MEMBERS FELT THAT THESE WERE UNACCEPTABLE AND WOULD IN FACT RESULT IN 'TWO COUNTRIES, TWO SYSTEMS''. THE SECOND DRAFT WAS PUBLISHED TO SEEK VIEWS ON IMPROVING THE DRAFT BL UNDER THE CONCEPT OF ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS'' THAT DID NOT MEAN THAT CHANGES COULD BE MADE TO ITS BASIC PRINCIPLES.
BUT
4. SOME PARTICIPANTS SUGGESTED THAT IN VIEW OF THE ACTIVITIES OF SOME HK PEOPLE AFTER THE JUNE EVENTS, PROVISIONS SHOULD BE MADE IN THE BL TO PREVENT FOREIGN INTERFERENCE WITH CHINA'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS
AND SUBVERSION OF THE CPG.
5. ON THE POLITICAL SYSTEM, MEMBERS FELT THAT IT SHOULD EVOLVE IN A STEADY AND GRADUAL MANNER, AS DEMOCRACY HAD NEVER BEEN PRACTISED IN HK IN THE PAST 100 YEARS. THE FOREMOST CONSIDERATION HAD TO BE THE MAINTENANCE OF HK'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY.
6. IT WAS ALSO SUGGESTED THAT THE BLDC SHOULD STEP UP PUBLICITY ON
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