TNAG-1357-FCO40-1798-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 97

NR

GRS 450

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO DESKEY 18113OZ FCO

TELNO 2852

OF 18095OZ DECEMPER 85

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

CONFIDENTIAL

HRR 01/1

419

Y

PA oly

1 9 DEC 1985

AB

Taken

FOLLOWING OR WILSON FROM GOVERNOP : MY TELNO 2842 AND PEKING TELNO

1249: REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT.

413

1. I AGREE IN GENEPAL WITH THE OBJECTIVES FOR THE NEXT STAGE OF DIALOGUE WHICH SIR PICHARD EVANS HAS PROPOSED IN HIS TUR. HOWEVER, I SEE ADVANTAGE IN TAKING THINGS A LITTLE FURTHEP, AT LEAST IN THE HONG KONG END OF THE DIALOGUE, PY ASKING LU PING A SERIES OF QUESTIONS ABOUT CHINESE THINKING ON THE FUTURE STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT. THESE WOULD BE PREFACED BY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT CHINESE THINKING IS STILL VERY EMBRYONIC (AS INDEED IS OUPS). WE WOULD SEEK TO BUILD ON JI PENGFE'S ACCEPTANCE OF THE NEED FOR CONTINUING DIALOGUE TO ELICIT AT LEAST SOME INFOPHAL INDICATION OF CHINA'S

PREFERENCES.

2. WHILST #4 AM SURE IT IS RIGHT THAT THE CHINESE HAVE NO VERY CLEAP IDEA OF THE STRUCTURE WHICH THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO PUT IN PLACE, IT IS LIKELY THAT THEY HAVE AT LEAST AN OUTLINE IDEA OF THEIR OWN IDEAL SCENARIO: THIS PROBABLY BEARS A CLOSE RESEMBLANCE TO THE INFORMAL IDEAS GIVEN TO YOU BY KE ZAISHUO IN THE WORKING GROUP.

3. THE ADVANTAGE OF TRYING TO DRAW OUR CHINESE IDEAS IS THAT IT WOULD GET AWAY FROM THE PRESENT, RATHER FRUSTRATING PROCESS, WHEREBY WE MAKE ALL THE CONSTRUCTIVE SUGGESTIONS AND THE CHINESE CONTENT THEMSELVES WITH TELLING US WHAT THEY DO NOT LIKE, IT WOULD ALSO REMOVE ANY GROUNDS FOR A BELIEF THAT WE WERE TRYING TO FORCE

OUR IDEAS ON THEM FIRST.

4. THE SORT OF POINTS 1 WOULD WISH TO SEE COVERED IN THE SERIES OF QUESTIONS TO BE PUT TO LU PING ARE AS FOLLOWS: (THESE ARE BASED ON PAPA 3 SECTION 1 OF ANNEX 1 OF THE JOINT DECLARATION)

(A) HAVE THEY GIVEN ANY THOUGHT TO THE RELATIVE MERITS OF ELECTION AND CONSULTATION FOR THE SELECTION OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE? DO THEY ENVISAGE A COMBINATION OF THE TWO? WHAT SORT OF CONSULTATIVE PROCESSES DO THEY HAVE IN MIND? DOES THE IDEA OF A CONSULTATIVE ASSEMBLY PUT FORWARD IN THE RECENT ARTICLE IN THE MIRROR MAGAZINE REPPESENT A SIGNIFICANT STRAND IN CHINESE THINKING?

(B) HAVE THEY GIVEN THOUGHT TO THE PRECISE MEANING OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE EXECUTIVE TO THE LEGISLATURE?

(C) HAVE THEY GIVEN THOUGHT TO A DEFINITION OF "PRINCIPAL OFFICIALS. HAVE THEY GIVEN ANY THOUGHT TO THE COMPOSITION AND SELECTION OF THE PEST OF THE PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE PODY OTHER THAN

THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE.

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