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FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE PEKING
TELNO 33
AND TO IMMEDIATE FCO
INFO PRIORITY UKREP JLG HONG KONGTM
OF 20093OZ AUGUST 93
在
PA
*GISTRY
Ps. Press Reporte
167625 MDHIAN 2405
OSTRY TOP COPY
Q DIST?
Auto: Taken
79
CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: PRESS REPORTS, 20 AUGUST 1993.
1.
THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES (ET) TODAY (20.8) REPORTED THAT ACCORDING TO ITS UNDERSTANDING, THE CHINESE SIDE HAD PROPOSED IN THE EIGHTH ROUND OF TALKS THAT THE ELECTION COMMITTEE SHOULD COMPRISE 600 MEMBERS, I.E 150 MEMBERS FROM EACH OF THE FOUR SECTORS OUTLINED IN ANNEX I OF THE BL. EACH SECTOR WOULD THEN ELECT THREE CANDIDATES TO STAND FOR A FURTHER ROUND OF ELECTION BY THE ELECTION COMMITTEE, WHICH WOULD THEN ELECT TEN LEGISLATORS FROM AMONG THE TWELVE CANDIDATES. THE PAPER UNDERSTOOD THAT THE BRITISH SIDE HAD QUERIED THE COMPATIBILITY OF THE CHINESE PROPOSAL WITH THE BL. ANNEXES I AND II OF THE BL STIPULATED THAT THE ELECTION COMMITTEE SHOULD COMPRISE 800 MEMBERS (SIC), AND THE CHINESE SIDE HAD ALSO STATED IN THE DIPLOMATIC EXCHANGES BETWEEN THE TWO FOREIGN MINISTERS IN 1990 THAT THE COMPOSITION OF THE ELECTION COMMITTEE
FOR THE FIRST SAR LEGISLATURE SHOULD BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH PARAGRAPH 2 OF ANNEX I OF THE BL. THE BRITISH SIDE WAS ALSO OPPOSED TO THE INCLUSION OF NPC AND CPPCC MEMBERS IN THE 'FORMER POLITICAL
FIGURES' SECTOR AND SUGGESTED THAT THIS SECTOR BE COMPOSED OF ELECTED DB MEMBERS, WHO WOULD ELECT TEN LEGISLATORS BY THE 'SINGLE TRANSFERABLE VOTE' METHOD.
2. ON FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES, THE ET ARTICLE SAID THAT UNDER
THE BRITISH SIDE'S COUNTER-PROPOSAL CORPORATE VOTING WOULD BE REPLACED BY VOTING BY COMPANY DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE EXECUTIVES, WHILE FOR THE NEW FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES, SUCH AS TEXTILES, INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES SHOULD BE ENFRANCHISED. THE AIM WAS TO MAINTAIN AN ELECTORATE OF OVER ONE MILLION. THE CHINESE SIDE HOWEVER OBJECTED TO THE PROPOSAL ON THE GROUNDS THAT IT WAS INCONSISTENT WITH THE PREVIOUS DEFINITION OF FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES. THE CHINESE SIDE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THE INTERESTS OF EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES WOULD BE MIXED UP UNDER THE
PROPOSAL.
3.
ON THE NATIONALITY RESTRICTION, THE ET ARTICLE SAID THAT THE
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