TNAG-1284-FCO40-1636-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 104

Redacted under FOI Exemption S 27(1)

SECRET

HKCK

GR 680

SECRET

DESK BY 131200Z FCO

FM PEKING 13094OZ JUN 34

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1110 OF 13 JUNE

INFO HONG KONG

153)

INDEX

No

ел

01113

TOP COPY

13 JUN1504

PEGISTRY

YOUR TELNO 601: FUTURE EGRET: CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND

GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE

1. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS INVOLVED:

THE ELECTION/SELECTION OF THE GOVERNOR SEMICOLON AND THE

PROPOSED CIRCUMSCRIPTION OF THE GOVERNOR'S POWERS.

ELECTION/SELECTION OF THE GOVERNOR

2. I AGREE THAT SUCH INDICATIONS AS WE HAVE HAD SUGGEST THAT

THE CHINESE WOULD PREFER THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE SAR TO BE

SELECTED, AT LEAST INITIALLY, RATHER THAN ELECTED AFTER 1997

I ALSO AGREE THAT THEY WOULD REACT AGAINST THE PUBLICATION OF

CUR PROPOSALS IF THEY HAD NOT BEEN FOREWARNED. I SUGGEST

THEREFORE THAT WE GIVE THEM AN ADVANCE COPY SHORTLY BEFORE

PUBLICATION AND, AFTER THERE HAS BEEN TIME FOR A REACTION IN

HONG KONG, WHICH HOPEFULLY WILL BE FAVOURABLE, THAT WE TRY HARD TO PERSUADE THE CHINESE TO ACCEPT THE PROPOSALS (SEE MY TELNO 1027).

3. DESPITE CHINESE PREFERENCES IT WOULD, I BELIEVE, DE HARD FOR THE CHINESE TO RESIST OR REVERSE THE PROPOSAL FOR THE ELECTION

OF THE GOVERNOR IF THIS RECEIVED WIDE-SPREAD SUPPORT IN HONG KONG.

CLEARLY ELECTION, IF NOT REVERSED BY THE CHINESE IN 1997, WOULD

BE BEST FOR US. OBJECTIONS WHICH THEY MIGHT RAISE COULD TO SOME

EXTENT BE FORESTALLED BY AMENDING THE SECOND SENTENCE OF PARAGRAPH

38 OF THE GREEN PAPER TO INCLUDE SOME LANGUAGE FROM THE PROPOSAL

MADE BY THE CHINESE THEMSELVES. THE GOVERNOR HAS TELEGRAPHED

SEPARATELY WITH A FORMULA (PEKING TELNO 39 TO HONG KONG).

CIRCUMSCRIPTION OF THE GOVERNOR'S POWERS

4. ON THE PROPOSED CIRCUMSCRIPTION OF THE COVERNOR'S POWERS AND,

BY EXTENSION, THE POWERS OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE, I THINK

WE NEED TO BEAR IN MIND THAT, WHATEVER THE CHINESE MAY BE Uo

THEY WILL SEEK TO HOLD US RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION

CF HONG KONG UNTIL 1997. IF DIFFICULTIES AROSE, AND IF WE THEN ARGUED THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO OVERPULE EXCO BECAUSE THE GOVERNOR'S POWERS HAD BEEN AMENDED, THIS WOULD CUT NO ICE.

5. AGAINST THAT MUST BE WEIGHED THE ADVANTAGE OF INSTITUTING

A SYSTEM OF FULL POLITICAL AUTONOMY IN HONG KONG WHICH IF

LEFT AS IS AFTER 1397, OUGHT TO INSULATE THE SAR FROM PEKING

TO A CONSIDERABLE EXTENT.

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