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CHINA'S CONSTITUTIONAL PLANS FOR HONG KONG
1.
This paper is a summary of Chinese public and semipublic state- ments of their views on the constitutional future of Hong Kong made in the course of this year.
THE BASIC LAW OR "MINI-CONSTITUTION"
2.
On 5 January Ji Pengfei, a State Councillor and Head of the Hong Kong and Macao Office (HKMO) told Professor Mun Kin-chok that the future Hong Kong Government would enjoy very great decision making powers within the limits prescribed by the Basic Law, and the Central Government would not interfere in its functions and powers as granted by the Basic Law. A Committee for formulating the Basic Law would be set up and representatives of the people of Hong Kong would be invited to become members of the Committee. The Basic Law would not be promulgated in the near future.
3. On 10 January in a speech at the Senate of Hong Kong University Xu Jiatun, the Director of NCNA Hong Kong, outlined the process whereby the Basic Law would be drafted. A first draft would be formulated on the basis of "widespread sounding of the views of Hong Kong compatriots and discussions with them". Hong Kong compatriots would put forward their views through "democratic procedures". In answer to a question he said that Hong Kong deputies would be invited to take part in the drafting committee, but that their number and how they would "come into being" were matters for "future study and consultation". After revision the Law would be submitted to the National People's Congress (NPC) for formal promulgation and implementation. Because of the democratic procedures, the formulation of the Basic Law would take a very long time. Xu amplified these remarks on 18 March when he said that the Law would be drafted "on the basis of still more extensively soliciting opinions from all circles in Hong Kong". It would then be passed to Hong Kong compatriots for revision and discussion, and would finally be submitted to the NPC for formal approval and promulgation.
4. On 28 March, Ji Pengfei was reported to have told a group of Hong Kong women lawyers that a committee to include Hong Kong representatives of various circles would be set up to draft the Basic Law. The draft would be discussed by various circles in Hong Kong before being submitted to the NPC. The drafting process would probably take more than one or two years.
5.
Ji Pengfei gave further details on the drafting process during meetings with Hong Kong delegations in late April. He told a group of academics on 24 April that some parts of the Sino-British agree- ment were expected to be included in the Basic Law. The drafting would not begin until after the agreement was finalized, and would take 3 to 5 years (the same time-scale was mentioned by Lu Ping, a Deputy Director of the HKMO, to a group from Meeting Point in early May). Li Chuwen, a Deputy Director of NCNA Hong Kong, told the academic group there would be Hong Kong representatives on the drafting Committee. The most comprehensive outline was given to a
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