the Basic Law, Annex I (which specifies the Election
Committee that will be responsible for electing Chief
Executives after 1997) but that the size of the
Committee should be different (600) from that
prescribed in Annex I of the Basic Law (800).
d) Third Phase: July-August 1993 (Rounds 8-9)
40.
The position in late June was, therefore, that after
Seven Rounds of talks, the Chinese side had finally put forward an opening position on the main electoral issues,
although they had consistently refused to discuss criteria
for the through train or the three other issues raised by
the British side. Since the effect of the Chinese position
would have been to ensure the minimum development of Hong
Kong's political system based on restrictive electoral arrangements, there was a wide gap between the two sides.
41.
The Foreign Secretary took the opportunity of his
presence in the region for the Tokyo Summit to visit Peking
for talks with the Chinese Foreign Minister on 8-9 July
1993. His aim was not to negotiate, but to focus the talks
on the essential issues, and to stress the need for early
progress. The Foreign Secretary set out the principles
which would need to apply if revised electoral proposals were to meet our requirements:
On the Election Committee, that its members should be elected fairly and openly in Hong Kong, not selected; and that the arrangements for
elections which took place within the Election
Committee should themselves be open and fair.
agreement could be reached on these principles,
the British side would be willing to consider
whether an Election Committee could be devised on
If
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