XN000022-1988-11-26 — Page 3

2

IN

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1988

WERE STILL

WITHIN 2 MONTHS A YOU OF ITS MAIN

AND OF COURSE IT WAS A BREAK THROUGH. THOUGH THERE PRODIGIES OF NEGOTIATION TO BE PERFORMED, WE HAD COMPLETE AGREEMENT. IT MAY BE WORTHWHILE REMINDING POINTS.

WILL

AFTER THE

UNTIL 30 JUNE 1997, WHEN THE LEASE OF THE NEW TERRITORIES IN ANY CASE EXPIRE, BRITAIN REMAINS RESPONSIBLE FOR HONG KONG. THAT DATE HONG KONG BECOMES A SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION UNDER

CHINA. THE REGIME FOR THIS GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF

BUT OUT

IT IN THE

IS IN BROAD TERMS REGION IS SET

AGREEMENT,

IS A LENGTHY TEXT CRUCIALLY SUPPLEMENTED IN THE FIRST ANNEX, WHICH

LIFE FOR HONG KONG. IT IS PRESCRIBING IN GREAT DETAIL THE WAY OF STATED THAT THESE DETAILS WILL BE SET OUT IN A BASIC LAW TO BE THEY WILL BY THE CHINESE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS AND THAT UNCHANGED FOR 50 YEARS.

HONG KONG'S

PASSED REMAIN

50 YEARS AFTER 1997, IS AVOWEDLY PREVIOUS CAPITALIST EXAMPLE, HONG KONG

IT TERRITORY.

WILL SPECIFICALLY

ARE

OF THE RELEVANT MORE BESIDES,

THIS REGIME, SECURED FOR CAPITALIST. THE ANNEX STATES THAT SYSTEM AND LIFESTYLE SHALL REMAIN UNCHANGED. FOR

A WILL REMAIN A FREE PORT AND

SEPARATE CUSTOMS OF LAW. HUMAN RIGHTS RETAIN ITS FAMILIAR SYSTEM PROTECTED BY THE CONTINUED APPLICATION TO HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS. ALL THIS, AND A GREAT DEAL

WHEN ONE REMARKABLE IS SET OUT IN DETAIL WHICH

HANDS IN THE CONTROL OF CHINA WAS THEREBY DELIBERATELY TYING ITS

AS

THESE OF CHINA. TERRITORY WHICH IT

IN AN INTERNATIONALLY BINDING ELABORATE UNDERTAKINGS ARE ENSHRINED AGREEMENT, WHICH HAS BEEN ENDORSED BY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, BY BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS AND BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.

HAD

IS

ALWAYS

REGARDED

MEANT TEXT

AN

BRITISH

PART

CONSIDERS

THAT

TO GET TO THIS

UNPRECEDENTED AND ENORMOUSLY

NEGOTIATION.

THE FOR

IT WAS DIFFICULT

GOVERNMENT

UNLIKE SO MANY THAT,

NEGOTIATIONS FOR COLONIAL UNPRECEDENTED IN

THE PAST, IT COULD NOT TERRITORIES WE HAD BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR IN

WAS CLOSED. FOR LEAD FORWARD TO INDEPENDENCE. THAT TRADITIONAL ROAD

A LEASE WHICH WE 92 PER CENT OF THE TERRITORY WE WERE DEALING WITH RECOGNISED AS VALID AND WHICH TERMINATED IN 1997. THE REMAINING 8 CENT OF THE TERRITORY WAS UNVIABLE ON ITS OWN. HONG KONG WAS BOUND RETURN TO CHINA; THE ONLY QUESTION WAS THE TERMS ON WHICH IT DID SO.

PER TO

UNPRECEDENTED, AND, I FOR THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT IT WAS ALSO SUSPECT, EQUALLY DIFFICULT, IN THAT, AS THEY SAW IT, HONG KONG

THEY COULD

EVEN EMBARK HOW TERRITORY. WAS THEIR ALWAYS

OF THEIR NEGOTIATION WITH A FOREIGN POWER ON THE FUTURE OF PART

19 AND ON

A

OWN

LAND?

THERE WAS