TNAG-1332-FCO40-1762-Future-of-Hong-Kong-White-Paper-on-the-Joint-Declaration-1984 — Page 254

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CONSULTATION WITH THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG

15. From the beginning of the negotiations HMG 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 HMG's consistent position 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.

16. The negotiations had to be conducted on a basis of confidentiality. This was crucial to their success, but it also

caused much concern and anxiety among the people of Hong Kong who

were understandably anxious to know what was being negotiated for

their future. The Official and Unofficial members of the Executive

Council, as the Governor's closest advisers, were kept fully

informed on the negotiations and consulted on a continuing basis

throughout the period. The Unofficial members of the Executive and

Legislative Councils provided invaluable advice to the Governor and

to Ministers on the course of the negotiations and on the attitude of the people of Hong Kong.

17.

At a number of crucial points in the negotiations the

Unofficial members of the Executive Council visited London for

consultations with the Prime Minister and other Ministers. British

Ministers also paid a series of visits to Hong Kong, to consult the

Executive Council and the Unofficial members of the Executive and

Legislative Councils and to keep in touch with opinion in the

territory. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth

Affairs was able to describe the approach of the British Government to the negotiations in his statement in Hong Kong on 20 April 1984, and to fill in more details of the content of the agreement in a

further statement in the territory on 1 August 1984. In the

of the negotiations, and in particular since the statement

April, numerous individuals and groups in Hong Kong have made

specific proposals on what should be included in an eventual

agreement. The British Government has paid close attention to these

proposals which the Hong Kong Government has relayed to HMG and views on the future expressed through a variety of channels

course

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