TNAG-1397-FCO40-1869-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Basic-Law-1985 — Page 83

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Hou, Secretary-General of the Drafting Committee and Xu Jiatun, Head of NCNA Hong Kong. The latter in an interview in Remin Ribao of 1 July urged the people of Hong Kong to voice their opinions whether or not they were members of either the drafting committee or the proposed consultative committee. There have been a number of reports of attempts to persuade pro-KMT individuals or groups to take part in the consultative process. Li Hou, speaking to the Attorney-General of Hong Kong in Peking on 12 September stressed the drafts would be available in Hong Kong for comment. tel no 1317 of 13 September refers.)

7.

(Peking

Another area where there has been clear indications of Chinese thinking from an early stage is the time scale for the process of preparing the final version of the Basic Law. Premier Zhao Ziyang, at a press conference in Peking on 19 December 1984, said that if things went well the Basic Law would be promulgated not later than 1990. Others have referred to a similar time scale, but the fullest timetable was given by Ji Peng Fei, again in his address to the opening session of the drafting committee on 1 July 1985. Ji said that the drafting process would take four or five years. In order to do this, the second half of 1985 should be devoted to research and investigation. The committee would then use this in the first quarter of 1986 as the basis on which to draw up the broad terms of the content of the Law and its main headings. Between 1986 and 1987, discussions and drafting based on these headings would take place, and a draft would be prepared by the beginning of 1988. This would be printed and distributed to those concerned and to all sections of opinion in Hong Kong. A revised draft would then be prepared in the light of comments received, which would in turn be submitted to the NPC. After approval, that draft would again be circulated and would be further revised in the light of comment in the second half of 1989. The draft would then be submitted to the NPC in the first half of 1990 for examination and approval. (This public procedure is similar to that followed in 1982 when the new PRC constitution was revised.)

8. It has been made clear the the Basic Law is to reflect the PRC constitution and the principles laid down in the Sino-British declaration of 19 December 1984. But there is clearly no concensus yet as to the final form of the Basic Law or at least none which the Chinese are prepared to make public. This is perhaps not surprising given the elaborate efforts being made to provide for opinion gathering. However it was reported in February 1985 that a Hong Kong member of the CPPCC, Ho Sai-chu, had given an account of the structure of the Basic Law. He said it would consist of:

1. A preamble;

2.

3.

A definition of Hong Kong's name and boundary;

Definition of relations between Hong Kong and Central Government; and

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