VERMENT HOUSE HONG KONG.
TJE 30 NOV 22
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Beginning the legislation on the simple issues gives us a little more time to do that. The Prime Minister has proposed an intensive effort to resolve the remaining issues and I hope the Chinese will join us in that. We are seeking to proceed in a measured and orderly way, and we remain ready to continue talking with the Chinese in a constructive and workmanlike spirit. At the end of the last round, the British negotiator proposed on
18th round of talks to take place this month. We have
subsequently proposed dates and await a Chinese reply to this
proposal.
No one seriously doubts that we are working against the clock. These are very complicated elections. It is an open secret that we would have liked to have legislated last summer. We have deliberately refrained from announcing deadlines. But
everyone, including the Chinese, knows that they exist, and that
we had to start the legislative process this December. The
pressure has never been the legislation on District Organisations; it has always been the Legco legislation. That is why we have consistently explained to the Chinese that it
would not help us to separate the District Organisations from
LegCo. The Foreign Secretary explained that in terms to
Mr. Qian Qichen on 1st October. We have accepted, not without reservations and not without criticism, the case for separate bills on simple and on more contentious issues precisely in order to try to buy a few more weeks to deal with the latter. I
realise that many people will say, "If the Chinese cannot even
agree on simple matters, cannot even agree on the LegCo voting method, what prospect is there for agreement on bigger matters
after 17 rounds of unsuccessful talks?" I reply to those critics, "We are prepared to make this further effort, to take this further step, however difficult, in the interests of Hong Kong". I hope that Chinese will be prepared to make an effort,
too.
I want to emphasise that on all matters concerning Hong
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