SECRET
proposals falling short of that, the Chinese reaction would
probably depend on the extent to which they judged we had
taken account of their views. They would no doubt continue to
oppose the package publicly; but if they concluded that our amendments met their essential points on the functional
constituencies and the Election Committee, they might moderate
the practical steps they took in retaliation, and/or
reserve the right to take further measures at the time of the
1995 elections or of the handover in 1997.
Conduct of the Discussions
5. Detailed tactics will need to be adjusted as the discussions proceed. The two essential points for the
negotiators are:
to maintain a clear distinction between the first,
exploratory phase (which may last for more than one
round), and a second phase at which more specific proposals might be discussed. Moving from one phase
to the second would be a matter for Ministerial
decision on the basis of the Governor's and ExCo's
advice.
to avoid, in the conduct of the first phase, giving
the Chinese side an indication of what amendments we
might eventually be prepared to accept.
Hong Kong Department
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
18 February 1993
steeringbrief 15.2
NH
SECRET