XN000022-1993-04-06 — Page 8

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TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 1993

We sent a copy of the Bill that we intended to put into the

Legislative Council to Chinese officials in early February,

accompanied by a message reiterating a point that we had made

privately and publicly a number of occasions reiterating that

-

we were prepared to have talks with China at any time about the

electoral arrangement for 1994 and 1995.

The day

as it

We were due to publish our Bill on 12 February.

before that, on 11 February, China came back to us at,

were, the eleventh hour, but better then than not at all, and

said that they would be happy to have talks. We immediately went

back to China and proposed that talks should ́ begin

on 24

February. Then, alas, there was first of all silence and then

complicated discussions about the precise basis for talks which,

alas, got nowhere.

After five weeks, we were arguing about representation. We

were arguing about secrecy not about secrecy regarding the

contents of the talks but secrecy regarding the fact that talks

were taking place, and we had not agreed a date for the

commencement of talks nor yet a date on which we could announce

a date for the commencement of talks. So it had been a rather

frustrating period, I am sure, all round,

I would like to make three points absolutely clear about

talks which I still hope. we can see starting sooner rather than

later. That is a point which we say, day after day, publicly and

privately, to Chinese officials.

First of all, there is no dispute as far as we are concerned

that the talks are between the present sovereign power and the

future sovereign power. There is no question that the talks are

/BETWEEN BRITAIN