TNAG-1439-FCO40-1923-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 51

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committed to a review in 1987 of the present

i) we are

system

The re is

introduction,

of

be

government

in

Hong Kong.

public pressure

for

the

representative

Likely to

at Least on a Limited scale, of direct

elections to LegCo.

symbol in the public mind of Hong Kong's autonomy.

Government ducked

Το

an extent these have become

a

If

the

face

pressure.

Hong Kong

that accusations

If the

Kong Hong

we

had

the issue we

bowed

Government

to

Would

Chinese

advocated

direct elections and the Chinese

came out strongly

against them, the result would be tension and Loss of

We Hong Kong.

need to convince the

concession over direct elections might

in confidence

Chinese that a

be

hence

to

to necessary

retain

respond

the

public to

authority

of

the

aspirations

Hong Kong

and

Government.

ii) the Chinese

are

on embarked now

the

Law Basic

the Hong Kong

danger

the outcome

which

SAR

Will form

after 1997.

the

The re

the drafting of

"constitution" of

of

the Basic incompatibility between

of the

the 1987 review.

Once

Basic

plans, they

Law

published,

in 1988 according is

is an obvious

Law and

a draft of the

to Chinese

Will be

significantly

A

means

must be

reluctant to

found of

change

it

influencing

the drafting process, despite the

process, despite the strong Chinese view

that this is their concern alone.

Modalities

7.

Over the past two weeks in Hong Kong these twin problems have been discussed intensively with the Governor, Sir R Evans, Dr Wilson, Mr

view formed the

and Chinese

We

British

in various permutations, by

Galsworthy and myself.

dialogue between the constitutional structure was essential.

that a direct

Governments

on

On the 1987 review

to

the

and

direct elections, we

had

to

explain clearly

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