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It is obvious, then, that the Basic Law upon which the future of Hong Kong entirely rests, must be worked out jointly by China and Great Britain with the active participation of Hong Kong.
The situation, therefore, can not be clearer, and does not require any assuran- ces and guarantees of any kind. It is not that the people of Hong Kong make light of such niceties - they simply have no use for them.
As, indeed, candidly stated, the situation boils down to, as to whether China recognises it is not sufficiently versed in the workings of the democratic sys- tom, to write the Basic law on its own, and will seek Great Britain's cooper- ation with the full participation of Hong Kong - or not.
If China does not recognise this basic reality, then it is Great Britain's duty in the name of this Democracy of ours, which is so dear to all freedom-loving people the world over, and in line with the statement made by the Government of Hong Kong (cf: White Paper, page 4, para. 15 'Consultation with the People of ¡ng Kong'):
From the beginning of the negotiations Her Majesty's Government have been 'conscious that the negotiations concerned the interests and future of the 'five and a half million people of Hong Kong. It has been the consistent 'position of Her Majesty's Government that any agreement with the Chinese 'Government on the future of the territory should be acceptable to the people
of Hong Kong as well as to the British Parliament and the Chinese Government.' (Dmphasis mine.)
to refer the matter to the United Nations because the people of Hong Kong are not savages, they can lay claim to the wisdom of their great civilisation as their brothers of the Teople's Republic of China and any agreement arrived at without their active participation in its negotiations can not be acceptable to the people of Hong Kong.
Let us hope History will not repeat itself, and that the distant echo of J Y Wor! : observation in his 'Inglo-Chinese Relations 1839-1860':
'Whatever the nature of the two Anglo-Chinese wars, Mandarin arrogance and 'British diplomatic ineptitude played a major part.
:
will not reverberate in 1984-1997.
Yours faithfully,
#BMiaAAA)
Henri J Ballerand
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