TNAG-1413-FCO40-1889-Future-of-Hong-Kong-annual-report-to-Parliament-on-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 17

(c)

Land Commission

CONFIDENTIAL

8.

1 and

five

The

A Sino-British Land Commission has also been established under

the terms of the Joint Declaration to monitor and consult on

matters provided for

in

the Joint Declaration.

I t held

meetings between 10 July and 17 October 1985, all in Hong Kong.

Commission quickly reached agreement on a series of legal documents

for use in land transactions. The Commission also determined the

land disposal

the period from 27 May 1985, when

in to force, to 31 March 1986.

ten-mon th

for programme

Joint Declaration en tered

programme agreed for this

exercising the provision in

specified annual limit of 50 hectares to be exceeded.

(d)

the +

The

period was 58 hectares,

the Joint Declaration which allows the

Establishment of Basic Law Drafting Committee by Chinese

National People's Congress

9. Under paragraph 3(12) of

the Joint Declaration the policies of

the People's Republic of China regarding Hong Kong, which are set out in paragraph 3 of the Joint Declaration, and the elaboration of

them in Annex I to the Joint Declaration will

will be

be stipulated in a

Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the

People's Republic of China by the Chinese National People's

Congress, and

they will remain unchanged for 50 years. The Chinese

National People's Congress has appointed a 59-member Basic Law

Drafting Committee, 23 of whose members come from Hong Kong. The

Chinese Government has also announced the formation of a Basic Law

Consultative Committee in Hong Kong to reflect the views of the

people of Hong Kong to the Drafting Committee. Her Majesty's Government have publicly welcomed the Chinese decision to consult the people of Hong Kong on a wide basis on the drafting of the Basic Law, and will follow the drafting process closely.

3

CONFIDENTIAL