TNAG-1413-FCO40-1889-Future-of-Hong-Kong-annual-report-to-Parliament-on-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 173

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.

INTRODUCTION

1.

Her Majesty's Government agreed, during the Parliamentary

debates on the Hong Kong Bill, to produce an

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.

This is the first annual report. It covers the period from

the initialling of

of the draft Sino-British agreement on Hong Kong in September 1984

1984 to

to the opening of the 1985/86 session of Hong Kong's Legislative Council by the Governor on 30 October 1985.

3.

The report contains a general survey of

a general survey of the main events in

Hong Kong in this period, covering the steps already taken to

implement the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the recent moves to more representative government, the state of the economy, the social and development programme s proposed by the Hong Kong Government,

refugees and security.

II.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION

(a) Joint Declaration

on

4.

After two years of negotiations a draft agreement on Hong Kong

was initialled on behalf of

of the British and Chinese Governments

The

of Hong people

Hong Kong were given an

their views on

the draft agreement, and

established to collate, analyse and assess

26 September 1985.

to

opportunity

express

Assessment Office wa s

-

an

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

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CONFIDENTIAL