every opportunity to encourage our partners and allies, especially those with close social and economic ties with Hong Kong to
The results so far have been
consider taking similar measures.
modest but we continue to press.
Democracy
9. When the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed in 1984,
there were no elected members of Hong Kong's Legislative Council
(LegCo). Now 26 members, almost half the total are indirectly
elected. In February 1988 the Hong Kong Government announced that
10 directly-elected seats would be introduced in the 1991 LegCo
elections. But it has become clear since then, and particularly
since the events of last June in China, that a growing number of
politically conscious people in Hong Kong want to see a more rapid rate of progress.
10. In July 1989 the Executive and Legislative Councils (OMELCO)
proposed that one third of LegCo should be directly elected in 1991
and that there should be no less than 50% directly elected members
by 1995.
These proposals went beyond the provisions in the second
draft of the Basic Law which provided for 18 directly elected seats
in 1997.
11. Following a period of intensive negotiations between the British and Chinese governments about the electoral provisions to be
included in the Basic Law, the final draft was approved by the Plenary meeting of the Basic Law Drafting Committee held in Peking on 12-16 February. This provides for 20 directly elected seats in the Hong Kong legislature (out of a total of 60) in 1997, and for
further increases to 24 seats in 1999, 30 seats in 2003 and the
possibility of full direct elections in 2007.
12. Britain's aim throughout has been to establish a system of
democracy which would satisfy aspirations in Hong Kong and be capable of enduring and developing beyond 1997. It was on this basis that the British Government decided to introduce 18 directly
elected seats in 1991 and at least 20 in 1995. The Foreign
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