See
布政司署
香港下栗原畢道
TRATIVE OUHAN 011/16
RECEIVED IN
Your 2 SEP 1993
ST
Mr. Nigel Cox,
British Embassy,
Peking
Dean Nigel,
SECRET
In Rickert,
1. Letta x paper
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD
accompanying
HONG KONG
BY CLASSIFIED FAX
24 August 1993
Biss Brooke is working up Something outer hiss Sounder? 7
Thanks for
257
you
M. B's
Comments. C'd I have Jacke wilt a coem of P. Lai's letter of
13 August
Talks on 1994/95 Elections : Nationality
Many thanks for your letter of 23 August.
2418
AS you know, our agreed tactic on the 20% nationality rule is to hold fast to our position that we would not implement it for the 1995 election, but that WE take opportunity to probe the Chinese on how they see it implemented in 1997 or beyond. I still think this is the right tactic, notwithstanding the conclusion of the research note annexed to my letter of 13 August.
But
Our primary aim at this stage of the game must be to flush out the Chinese on criteria for confirming whether particular Legco members "uphold the Basic Law". the Chinese tactic seems to be to put off discussing this question to the last; in turn, they try to pin us down to accepting almost everything they want on the 1994-95 electoral arrangements (including the 20% restriction on nationality) before giving us anything on those criteria. It is quite possible that, even if we concede on everything, they would then proceed to give us some rotten ideas on criteria for "upholding the BL".
In the circumstances, it would be take the initiative
to
to
dangerous for us to
suggest the Chinese how the 20% nationality restriction would be implemented. It would whet their appetite to further press us to implement our suggestion for 1995; having made those suggestions, We would be on weaker ground to refuse to do so. It would also waste a lot of valuable time, between now and the end of September, which we should use to concentrate on the key issues identified by the Secretary of State, i.e. the FC and EC electoral arrangements and the criteria for "upholding the BL".
That said, we are not ruling out discussing with the Chinese the implementation of the 20% nationality restriction at some later stage, if by that time we have made some headway the "upholding the BL" criteria. In fact, if the Chinese
оп
SECRET