IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION
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Defence Lands
At the 29th JLG meeting in June, the two sides initialled an agreement on the future of the military estate. Fourteen sites will be handed over to the Chinese Government on July 1, 1997. They will be used exclusively for defence purposes. Twenty-five sites will be returned to the Hong Kong Government for socio-economic development, when they are no longer required by the British garrison. The Hong Kong Government will reprovide certain military facilities affected by the return of military sites to Hong Kong. The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approved $4 billion for this purpose in June.
Court of Final Appeal
Agreement in principle on the early establishment of a Hong Kong-based Court of Final Appeal before 1997, was reached with the Chinese side at the 20th meeting of the JLG in September 1991. A draft Bill to establish the court, drawn up on the basis of the JLG agreement, was passed to the Chinese side in May 1994. The Hong Kong Government subsequently answered questions raised by the Chinese side. In the meantime, the views of the legal profession on the draft Bill have been sought. The government's aim remains to introduce the Bill into the Legislative Council as early as possible in 1995.
Franchises and Contracts Extending Beyond 1997
The JLG continued to discuss a number of major franchises and contracts extending beyond 1997. Agreement was reached on the contract for the Northeast New Territories Landfill and the management contract for the Aberdeen Tunnel.
Discussion on the Container Terminal No. 9 project has been underway for nearly two years, but the JLG has not yet been able to reach a consensus. The urgency of the project and the consequences of its delay on the economy have been highlighted in the many exchanges between the two sides. An early resolution of the issue is important to Hong Kong's port development.
Right of Abode
The JLG continued to discuss the alignment of the provisions on right of abode in the Immigration Ordinance with those in the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR.
Travel Documents
So far, the JLG has reached agreement on transitional arrangements for nearly all existing travel and identity documents. The two sides are continuing discussion on the types and eligibility criteria for Hong Kong SAR passports and travel documents.
International Rights and Obligations
The Sub-group on International Rights and Obligations was formally established under the JLG in July 1986, to examine and discuss the continued application after 1997 of international rights and obligations affecting Hong Kong. The sub-group reports its con- clusions to the JLG.
During the year, the JLG reached agreement on the continued application to Hong Kong of 34 international treaties. The two sides have now reached agreement on the continued application of more than 160 of the approximately 200 multilateral treaties which currently