CHINESE THREATS TO MAKE OWN ARRANGEMENTS FOR 1997/ROLE OF PREPARATORY WORK GROUP?
Chinese leaders say they will abide by the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. That is the key point.
Under the Joint Declaration, Britain is responsible for administering Hong Kong up to July 1997, and the Chinese Government is committed to giving its cooperation in this connection.
WHY NOT GO FOR A 100% DIRECTLY-ELECTED LEGCO IN 1995?
Our aim all along has been to reconcile two things:
meeting the Hong Kong people's wish for a credible democratic system;
putting in place arrangements which can survive beyond 1997.
That is why the Governor's proposals were carefully within the terms of the Basic Law. We still believe that this is the right approach.
WHY NOT BRING ELECTIONS FORWARD AND HOLD THEM BEFORE 1995?
The first tier of the elections, to the District Boards, are due in September next year. Already the timing is becoming tight. We should proceed in an orderly and measured way, preserving the possibility of continuity beyond 1997.
WILL YOU NOW BE PUTTING THE GOVERNOR'S ORIGINAL PROPOSALS TO LEGCO?
We want the talks to continue on the more complex issues not covered in the interim legislation introduced in December. Hence premature to speculate what the shape of eventual draft legislation on those issues would be.
MICHAEL SZE'S ALLEGED STATEMENT (ON 15 DECEMBER) THAT NO MORE LEGISLATION WOULD BE INTRODUCED UNTIL IT WAS CERTAIN THAT FURTHER DIALOGUE WITH CHINA WAS IMPOSSIBLE.
What the Secretary for Constitutional Affairs said was that Hong Kong Government "are not committing themselves to a particular timetable to table the remaining elements of the Governor's proposals. The Governor will wish to consult the political parties concerned and to listen to views as to whether the package that he unveiled in 1992, the remaining part of it, should be introduced as it is or whether it should be modified in the light of our discussions wit the Chinese side."
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