What are the facts?
On the composition of the legislature, the Joint
Declaration states that the "Legislature of the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region shall be constituted by
elections.'
1
On the Chief Executive, it states that he shall
be "selected by elections or through consultations held
locally and be appointed by the Central People's
Government"
The Joint Declaration contains no more detail than that.
In the course of the negotiations, we pressed very hard
for more. But at the end of the day that was the
maximum that we could achieve.
Your editorial also asserts that the Joint
The
Declaration specifies that Britain was to be able to
introduce democracy in Hong Kong before 1997 "with no
interference from China". This too is misleading.
Joint Declaration specifies no such thing. It merely
states in general terms that "the Government of the
United Kingdom will be responsible for the administration
of Hong Kong with the object of maintaining and
preserving its economic prosperity and social stability;
and that the Government of the People's Republic of China
will give its co-operation in this connection."