XN000022-1996-05-13 — Page 6

5.

Chief Secretary: The Privy Council is of course the Court of Final Appeal under our current system and it will be so up to 30 June 1997. But the Basic Law also makes provision for the Court of Final Appeal to be established here in Hong Kong and we have passed an Ordinance which will come into effect on 1 July 1997 which will establish the Court of Final Appeal here in Hong Kong. So before 1997, the Privy Council will still deal with all cases. After 1997, the Court of Final Appeal will be rooted firmly in Hong Kong and cases will then be heard by the Court of Final Appeal.

Miss Emily Lau: Thank you Chairman. Chairman, I just want to respond very briefly to the remarks by the delegate from Australia and the question of the delegate from Malawi.

On the point raised by the delegate from Australia, I think many of us in Hong Kong would look to the international community for support in the very trying and difficult months and years ahead. So regardless of what the United States Government and politicians decide to do, especially Members of the Commonwealth, we certainly hope that you will continue to pay attention to what is happening here and especially if you see violations of the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, gross violations of human rights, we hope you will do what you can to help us. After all, we are six million defenceless and powerless people who have been by and large abandoned by the United Kingdom Government.

Chairman, on the question by the delegate from Malawi. I do not think the Chief Secretary answered his question head on because he was talking about the formation of a socialist party here and he thinks that would not be possible for one country, two systems to flourish. But I am sure the delegates all know that the Chinese Communist Party is alive and well in Hong Kong, in fact every since the Party was formed in 1921 it has been operating here. And of course if you look at the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law there is no reference to the CCP but that does not mean the CCP will not continue to exist.

But I agree with our Chief Secretary that it is possible for one country and two systems to succeed, and what it needs is maximum self-restraint by the Chinese Government and the Chinese Communist Party, and right now we do not see signs of that. And maybe the Chief Secretary can share her thoughts with us: how, with the continued existence of the Chinese Communist Party in Hong Kong in future, how we can ensure that we will have a high degree of autonomy.

Mr F V M Mkandawire (Malawi): A point of order please. I want to find out whether the Communist Party that is in existence in Hong Kong has got relations with the Communist Party in Mainland China?