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DSR 11C (Revised 5/87)
people themselves express. Once a clear consensus has
emerged in this respect, the British Government will
certainly wish to respond. But it is already clear to me
from my recent discussion in Hong Kong that:
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the changes currently proposed for 1991 will need to
be re-examined;
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we need to consider carefully what further steps may
be necessary before 1997; and that
In Confidence
the provision of the draft Basic Law on
constitutional arrangements after 1997 will need
full re-appraisal once the drafting process
resumes.
Just as there have been calls to scrap the Joint
Declaration, so there are some who have lost faith in the
value of the Basic Law in the wake of recent events.
Public consultation in Hong Kong on the second draft of
the Basic Law has been effectively suspended for the time
being. Some Hong Kong members of the Drafting Committee
have resigned, saying that they can
saying that they can no longer cooperate
with the Government responsible for the brutality in
Tiananmen Square. But recent events have not changed the
underlying reality that the Basic Law is of crucial
importance to Hong Kong's future for at least 50 years
after 1997. This view is shared by the Hong Kong
Executive and Legislative Councils as well as by the
House of Commons Select Committee.