The views of this community deserve the closest possible attention
from those responsible for drafting the Basic Law.
I need hardly emphasise that the outcome of this process is a
matter of major concern to the British Government. It will be a Chinese law. But our responsibilities as co-signatories of the Joint Declaration mean that we have the greatest possible interest
in a law intended to implement the provisions of that Agreement.
You will all understand that we have had to take account of the fact
that the drafting of the Basic Law is a matter for China. But that
has not prevented us from taking every suitable opportunity to get across our views. In doing so, we have always respected the wishes of the Chinese that this should be done privately and in confidence.
I believe that our efforts will be all the more productive for this.
The
A key area of the Basic Law is the chapter on the future
political structure. It is understandable that this section should
have become the focus of debate in Hong Kong. The outcome of this
section will have a crucial effect on what view Hong Kong people
take on the Basic Law as a whole. It is right that the community
should have expressed its views fully and vigorously. It is encouraging that, in the search for consensus and compromise, a
number of constructive proposals should have emerged from the community in Hong Kong. This is very much to Hong Kong's credit.
The debate on the Basic Law has naturally stimulated interest in
Hong Kong's constitutional development before 1997. In taking our decisions about this we must take full account of the evolution of
opinion in Hong Kong. We must ensure that the changes we make match
by the aspirations of this society. It is also important that the system we establish before 1997 should be capable of further development in the years thereafter. If this were not so, I do not believe that the arrangements we are making for Hong Kong's future would be credible locally or internationally. Nor would any other approach serve the wider and longer term interests of Hong Kong.
I have touched on some of the difficult decisions which I have
ALKAAO