49.
"convergence" required that the institutions of the colonial government in Hong Kong should, by 1997, be sufficienly similar to those set out in the Basic Law that the transfer of sovereignty could be achieved without undue disruption of the administration of the territory. One aspect of convergence which had been agreed between the United Kingdom and China was that the members of the last colonial Legislative Council should become the members of the first SAR Legislature, and this is provided for in a decision of the NPC of 4th April 1990 so long as the individual members "uphold the Basic Law" and pledge allegiance to the SAR.
50. Xu Jiatun, the head of the Hong Kong Office of
the New China News Agency, reported in the Far East Economic Review for 5th December 1986 and Li Hou, note 38 above.
51. Commons Debates, 16th February 1990, col 580; Li Hou, South China Morning Post, 16th February 1990.
52.
་
Xiao Weiyun, note 27 above, p 110. See also Lian Xisheng in "Hong Kong's Future Political Structure" in Beijing Review, April 16-22 1990: "To maintain a high administrative efficiency, the Chief Executive must hold real power, but at the same time he must be under supervision".
53.
The point is made in Liu Yiu Chu's article 'Interpretation and Review of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region' in the Journal of Chinese Law, op. cit. p.49 et seq. that the Basic Law is essentially a conservative document not a reformist
one.
54. Deng Xiaoping in addressing members of the BLDC
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