TNAG-1341-FCO40-17721-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1985 — Page 117

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QUESTION

Prime Minister, you have been told by

Premier Zhao Ziyang that the views of Hong Kong people will

be widely solicited on the drafting of basic law, but the major concern for the people here now is will they be able

to participate? Have you been assured on this point?

If

not,

what will your Government do to help the Hong Kong people

to be able to join the Basic Law Drafting Committee?

PRIME MINISTER

Therefore,

Well, I have answered questions about the basic law.

The relevant content of the Annexes will be stipulated in

the basic law, that is, in the Agreement itself.

things which are of particular concern to Hong Kong will, by

virtue of that stipulation, be in the Agreement.

words

basis.

and I use their The Chinese Government has also said

that they would solicit opinion in Hong Kong on a wide

The precise mechanism by which that will be carried

out has not yet been decided. But the greatest protection

is the detail which the Chinese Government and the British

Government entered into in the Annexes and that we both

regard that as binding and that that detail will be stipulated

in the basic law. That is very considerable protection.

The drafting of the basic law other than as I have

indicated that the agreements in the Annexes will be

stipulated in the basic law - is of course a matter for the

Chinese Government.