TNAG-1413-FCO40-1889-Future-of-Hong-Kong-annual-report-to-Parliament-on-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 147

RD1AGY

)

CONFIDENTIAL

ANNUAL REPORT ON HONG KONG

1984-85

(presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Foreign and

Commonwealth Affairs, by command of Her Majesty, December 1985)

I.

IN TRODUC TION

1.

debates

Her

Majesty's Government agreed, during the

Parliamen tary

on the Hong Kong Bill, to produce an annual report on Hong

Kong and to lay it before Parliament. The purpose of this report is

to keep Parliament informed of developments in Hong Kong, given

Parliament's strong and continuing interest in the territory.

2.

I t covers

This is the first

first annual report.

the period from

the initialling of the draft Sino-British agreement on Hong Kong in

September 1984 to the opening of the 1985/86 session of Hong Kong's

Legislative Council by the Governor on 30 O tober 1985.

3.

The report contains

general a

survey of the

main even ts

already tak en to

steady progress

in

to

the

Hong Kong in this period, covering the s teps

implement the Sino-British Joint Declaration,

more representative government, the state of the economy, the social

and development programmes proposed by the

refugees and security.

Hong Kong Government,

II. IMPLEMEN TATION OF THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATI ON

(a)

Joint Declaration

British and Chinese Governments the

on

4.

After two years of negotiations a draft agreement on Hong Kong

was initialled on behalf of

26 September 1984.

opportunity

to

express

their views on

The people of Hong Kong were given an

the draft agreement, and an

Assessment Office was es tablished to collate, analyse and assess

these views. The Office reported in November 1984 that most of the people of Hong Kong found the agreement acceptable. Their findings

1

CONFIDENTIAL