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MDHOAN S
CHINESE BEFORE DECIDING HOW MUCH OF THE PACKAGE WILL HAVE TO BE
IMPLEMENTED UNILATERALLY.
4.
AGAINST THAT BACKGROUND, IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL TO US TO KNOW IN A LITTLE MORE DETAIL YOUR THINKING ON THE PRESENTATION IN YOUR SPEECH OF THE PROPOSALS ON THE 1995 ELECTIONS (PARAS 9-18 OF YOUR TUR) IN TERMS OF THE LEVEL OF DETAIL AND THE DEGREE OF COMMITMENT TO THE SPECIFIC PROPOSITIONS. WE UNDERSTAND THE ARGUMENTS WHICH POINT THE OTHER WAY: BUT THE GREATER THE LATITUDE IN PLAYING THE HAND WITH THE CHINESE WHICH YOU FEEL ABLE TO LEAVE YOURSELF THE BETTER OUR CHANCES OF AVOIDING IMMEDIATE CHINESE REJECTION AND IMPROVING THE ATMOSPHERE FOR YOUR SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSIONS WITH CHINESE LEADERS.
5. THE JUDGEMENT ON THE LEVEL OF DETAIL IS LIKELY TO BE A PARTICULARLY FINE ONE IN THE CASE OF THE TWO ISSUES WHICH ARE LIKELY TO BE MOST UNWELCOME TO THE CHINESE: THE FUNCTIONAL
CONSTITUENCIES AND THE ELECTION COMMITTEE:
- ON THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES, WE HAVE BEGUN TO CONSIDER HOW WE WOULD REBUT CHINESE ARGUMENTS THAT THE PROPOSED NEW CONSTITUENCIES AND THE VERY SIGNIFICANT BROADENING OF THE ELECTORATE THAT THESE REPRESENTED, AMOUNTED TO A RADICAL DEPARTURE FROM THE TRADITIONAL FC PATTERN AND AS SUCH A MAJOR CHANGE IN HONG KONG'S POLITICAL SYSTEM OF A KIND WHICH SHOULD NOT BE INTRODUCED JUST BEFORE 1997. IT WOULD BE VERY USEFUL TO HAVE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW THE PROPOSAL COULD BE PRESENTED TO EXPOSE LEAST FLANK TO THE CHINESE. WOULD YOU ENVISAGE PUTTING INTO YOUR LEGCO ADDRESS ALL THE DETAIL IN PARA 15 OF YOUR TUR, INCLUDING THE IMPLICATIONS IN TERMS OF SIZE OF THE ELECTORATE, OR WOULD YOU SEE THIS AS EMERGING IN THE COURSE OF DISCUSSION WITH THE
CHINESE?
- ON THE ELECTION COMMITTEE, WE NOTE THAT YOU WOULD NOT PLAN TO INCLUDE THE POINTS IN PARAS 17 AND 19 IN YOUR ADDRESS. WOULD YOU FOR TACTICAL PURPOSES ENVISAGE LEAVING THE DOOR OPEN TO THE INCLUSION OF OTHERS THAN DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS? THAT MIGHT MAKE IT EASIER TO PRESENT TO THE CHINESE AS A PROPOSAL ON WHICH THERE WAS STILL SOME ROOM FOR DISCUSSION. ON A SEPARATE POINT, WE HERE DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE CHINESE WOULD SEE THE PROPOSAL IN PARA 17 (THE OFFER TO INCLUDE NPC AND CPPCC DELEGATES IN THE ELECTORATE FOR THE ELECTION COMMITTEE PROVIDED THAT THEY THEMSELVES WERE ELECTED IN HONG KONG BY UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE) AS ANYTHING OF A CONCESSION. WE THINK THAT THE CHINESE WOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO
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