HONG KONG: TALKS WITH CHINA ABOUT ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS
We welcome the start of talks with China on Hong Kong electoral issues. We hope we can get down to discussing practicalities in
the third round due at the end of this week. Our aim is to
reach an understanding which will ensure that the 1995 Legislative Council elections are fair, open and acceptable to Hong Kong people. We would recommend such an understanding to the Council and it would be for them to pass the necessary legislation.
Background
The Governor of Hong Kong set out his proposals for the 1994/95 electoral arrangements last October. They were well received in Hong Kong, but the reaction of the Chinese Government was extremely hostile. They have claimed that the proposals contravene the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law and agreements reached between the British and Chinese Governments in early 1990. We do not accept those claims.
We said, from the outset, that we were ready to discuss the Governor's proposals with China without preconditions, with the aim of reaching an understanding. We have also made it clear that we would need to have legislation in place in good time to ensure that the 1994/95 elections were conducted in an orderly way.
We had intensive exchanges with China in the early months of this year in an effort to arrange talks. While these were taking place, the Governor, with the advice of the Executive Council, delayed starting the legislative process.
12 March the Chinese side had still not agreed to an early announcement about talks. So the Governor and his Executive Council decided, with Ministers' support, to publish his proposals in the form of draft legislation, the first step in the legislative process.
We were finally able to agree a basis for talks with the Chinese Government on 13 April. The first two rounds were held in Peking on 22-24 and 28-29 April in a business-like atmosphere. The third round is due 21-23 May. It is not clear how long the talks will last, but they are likely to be difficult.
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