CONFIDENTIAL
47
155000
MDHIAN 1946
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 11100OZ FCO
TELNO 2882
OF 11090OZ DECEMBER 92
нис 012/1
TOP COPY Q DIST ?/
pa
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
646
YOUR TELNO 1713: HONG KONG: WRITTEN PQ.
1. WE ARE BROADLY CONTENT WITH PART (I) AND YOUR PROPOSED REPLY. ON PART (II), OUR RECOLLECTION IS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN REMARKS MADE BY PRO-CHINA FIGURES FROM TIME TO TIME ON THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF PRE-1997 AMENDMENT TO THE BASIC LAW. HOWEVER, AS FAR AS WE CAN GLEAN FROM OUR RECORDS IN THE TIME AVAILABLE, IT APPEARS THAT THE FIRST PUBLIC FORMAL STATEMENT OF THE CHINESE SIDE ON THE UNCHANGEABILITY OF THE BASIC LAW WAS ONE MADE BY A MFA SPOKESMAN ON 30 MAY 1992 IN REACTION TO MR.GOODLAD'S REPORTED REMARKS DURING HIS VISIT HERE AT THE TIME. (COPY OF THE STATEMENT, AS REPORTED BY NCNA, BEING FAXED TO MORRIS, HKD). THE CHINESE SIDE THEN TOOK UP THE ISSUE FURTHER BOTH IN PEKING AND THE JLG (PEKING TELNO 773 AND UKREP JLG TELNO 260 REFER). AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE MADE CLEAR OUR POSITION DURING HIS MEETING WITH QIAN QICHEN IN SEPTEMBER.
2. IN THE LIGHT OF THE ABOVE, WE PROPOSE TO RECAST PART (II) OF YOUR REPLY AS FOLLOWS:
QUOTE:
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT MADE A PUBLIC STATEMENT AT THE END OF MAY THIS YEAR THAT IN ITS VIEW THE BASIC LAW INCLUDING PROVISIONS FOR THE FIRST SAR LEGISLATURE, CANNOT BE CHANGED BEFORE 1997. OUR POSITION ON THE PACE OF DEMOCRACY FOR HONG KONG WAS MADE CLEAR ONCE AGAIN TO THE CHINESE SIDE DURING MY MEETING WITH THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER IN NEW YORK ON 25 SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR. WHILST WE WOULD STILL WISH TO SEE MORE DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG HAS MADE ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS WHICH ARE ENTIRELY WITHIN THE TERMS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION AND AND BASIC LAW.
UNQUOTE
YOU WILL NOTE THAT THE ABOVE REDRAFT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE REPLY TO SIR T.ARNOLD'S QUESTION ON 7 DECEMBER (YOUR TELNO 1687).
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