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hardly yet been thought about.
But they will doubtless crop up in
the next 18 months prior to the 1987 Review. This will be a time of considerable political debate. Technically, there is doubt whether
the Joint Declaration's reference to an "elected legislature" means
by 1997 or after 1997.
They
5. There is a conscious effort by senior Hong Kong Chinese, such as
Donald Liao, the Secretary for District Administration, Lydia Dunn, now the leader of the Unofficials in LEGCO, and even that great doubter Sir S Y Chung, to develop their own links with Peking. have taken on board the need to keep the Chinese privately well-informed not only about public works programmes but also about
constitutional and electoral progress. I found little feeling that at this stage "it is none of Peking's business" but rather a wish to work out systems that will be suitable and will continue without great upset after 1997. I heard no comment about any excessive
influence of the NCNA.
6.
The two most contentious issues were:-
a) Nationality and the new BN (0) passport. I heard a lot of criticism about the status of this passport; the comment was frequently made that it was only a second class document that would not help the people of Hong Kong obtain access to many countries. To counteract this, it is important that, as soon as we have agreed the endorsement concerning identity cards and the right of abode in Hong Kong with the Chinese, and the Order in Council is through, we should build on the support given by Vice President Bush and get as many countries as possible to accept the BN (0) passport publicly and quickly. Obviously, we hope that those countries who do not want
the visas from a BTDC will not want one for a BN (0). For Hong Kong, proof of the new BN (0) status will lie in its acceptability to other
countries.
b) Vietnamese refugees.
Hong Kong shows a very strong
It is hard to convince
resentment at the slow pace of resettlement. them that they are not alone in having a refugee problem or to see the situation through any eyes other than their own. I am grateful that we had announced our decision to receive a further 500 here
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