S.12.
S.13.
will be useful. The Secretary for the Hong Kong Civil Service has pointed out recently the need for mutual understanding with the PRC. I agree with him.
Also in the paper, I discuss aspects of British policy. The British government see the Joint Declaration's "detailed and comprehensive provisions for Hong Kong's future [as] the best that could have been
achieved in the circumstances";
and it stresses the fact that: -
13
"We started off from the fact that 92 per cent of the territory was revert to China without any safeguards or assurances at all
due S
"J
I feel it is important neither to forget this very considerable achievement, nor to assume that it will cure all problems. The "safeguards and assurances" about autonomy are crucial. In Hong Kong, the debate about political change, and the link between representative government and autonomy under the Joint Declaration, has for some years been clouded with acrimony between those who feel that the responsibility of the British government has, or has not, been exercised in Hong Kong's best interests. Doubtless many people in Hong Kong did not want to see much evolution in the Colony's form of government. I am not saying those people were wrong, but my own view is inclined the other way, for I believe that democracy is a safeguard for autonomy and stability, at least where the elected representatives have the necessary powers and authority to do their job properly. (See paragraph 4.10 4.11) The link between democracy, accountability, and "rights" has been the focus of argument for a long time here in Hong Kong. I do not want to open up old issues, but I am concerned that the central issue on which all are agreed, autonomy, can get lost too easily in the after-burn of the discussion on the nature of Hong Kong's governmental system. The danger is that expressing the need to bolster autonomy, which is a legitimate aspiration in Hong Kong, is feared as a possible affront to China. China is understandably concerned about the question of sovereignty; but that is a different issue, and Hong Kong cannot afford for the two issues to be confused. So, given strong Chinese feelings on certain issues, how can Hong Kong and the U.K. respond? This is a necessary question, made more so because of a sense among some Hong Kong people that Britain will not stand firm for the principles which have made Hong Kong what it is today, being more interested in a "smooth" handover. There is a belief that HMG has decided for good (but not good enough), or even bad, reasons of expediency to seek to nudge China where possible, rather than be clear in public about the pre-conditions for the continuation of Hong Kong's lifestyle. (See paragraph 4.4)
For me, the issue is clear: By the signing of the Joint Declaration, the PRC has undertaken to accept and apply the notion of "sovereignty within the law" in relation to its dealings with its Hong Kong Special