TNAG-0839-FCO40-1048-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1979 — Page 11

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CONFIDENTIAL

The Right Honourable Lord Carrington KCMG MC Secretary of State for Foreign and

Commonwealth Affairs

Etc., etc., etc.

BRITISH EMBASSY,

PEKING.

5 July 1979

Sir

MEETING OF THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS, 1979

1.

The Second Session of the Fifth National People's Congress (NPC) took place in Peking between 18 June and 1 July. In this despatch I comment on the background to the Congress and

its achievements.

Background

2.

The NPC is China's "Parliament". As a piece of the

the State apparatus it is in the last analysis a rubber stamp: real decisions lie with the Party. But its deliberations and legislation are a fair reflection of the balance of power within. the leadership. It is also the forum for announcements on economic planning and the context of modernisation (1978) with hesitations (1979) gave the announcements this time a special significance. The Chinese Constitution stipulates that the NPC should meet once a year, allowing the People's representatives Like to hear and approve an account of the Government's work. so much else in the Constitution this rule was disregarded during the 1960s. The fact, however, that this Second Session followed

unknown since 1963 was in the first after the allotted period itself a part of the impression of normality, of concern for the law and rights of the people, which China's leaders are now at

pains to convey.

G

CONFIDENTIAL

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