CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
HKD241
HOLLIVE!
-5 JUL 1998
Y
STRY
Q DIST?
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
OTECOF
TELNO 2013
OF 290416Z JUNE 9p
don Taken
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
162
164
(87)
104460
MDHIAN 6989
PM
fre oft
YOUR TELNO 1140 AND PEKING TELNO 893: BILL OF RIGHTS: CHINESE TITLE
WE HAVE CONSIDERED TUR'S CAREFULLY. WE ARE WORRIED THAT QUOTE REN QUAN FA TIAO LI UNQUOTE WOULD CAUSE CONFUSION IN HONG KONG AS TO THE STATUS OF THE BOR VIS-A-VIS THE BASIC LAW (JI BEN FA). ALL OUR ORDINANCES ARE SIMPLY REFERRED TO AS TIAO LI. TO QUALIFY THE BOR AS FA WILL LIKELY INVITE CRITICISMS THAT WE ARE PUTTING IT ON PAR WITH THE BASIC LAW SEMI COLON AND WILL GIVE THE CHINESE A FURTHER GROUND FOR OBJECTION TO THE BILL. FURTHERMORE, THE CHINESE LAWS WHICH ARE TERMED FA ARE APPLICABLE NATION-WIDE. THE BOR WILL HOWEVER HAVE EFFECT ONLY IN HONG KONG BOTH PRE- AND POST-1997.
2. WE HAVE EXAMINED AT OUR END A NUMBER OF ALTERNATIVES, INCLUDING REN QUAN FA AN TIAO LI IN LIGHT OF COMMENTS IN TURS'S, BUT FOUND NONE OF THEM ENTIRELY SATISFACTORY.
3. IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES WE SUGGEST NOT/NOT TO MAKE AT THIS STAGE ANY CHANGE TO THE CHINESE TITLE. OUR ASSESSMENT IS THAT IT WILL BE AMONG THE LESS OBJECTIONABLE ASPECTS OF THE BILL TO THE CHINESE. IN CASE THEY DO MAKE ANY NOISE ABOUT IT, WE WOULD OF COURSE EXPRESS OUR READINESS TO CONSIDER THEIR VIEWS.
FORD
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