TNAG-1442-FCO40-1926-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 171

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From The Minister of State

Du Bor,

57J

August 1986 KK OUT

22 AUG 1986

AB 2018!

You wrote on 25 July to Geoffrey Howe, drawing attention to Early Day Motion 1157 about the proposed nuclear plant at Daya Bay in China, and asking about the development of representative government in Hong Kong. You also raised Daya Bay with the Leader of the House on 24 July, and he undertook to refer the motion to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

As you will have seen from the answers that I gave to your Questions on 25 July, we have followed very closely the expressions of concern in Hong Kong about the nuclear plant at Daya Bay. We have been in touch with the Chinese authorities for several years over various aspects of the project. Our recent exchanges with the Chinese Government have taken full account of the concerns expressed by Hong Kong people about safety aspects of the plant, and have concentrated on what measures might be taken to allay these concerns. We envisage that these contacts will continue. We understand that the French authorities (whose companies are supplying the nuclear plant and technology) are also in close touch with the Chinese authorities.

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We believe that, once people in Hong Kong are more fully informed of the attention being paid to the safety of the planned plant, this will help allay their fears. We welcome statements by the Chinese authorities that they regard safety and quality as paramount in their nuclear power programme, and the practical measures which they have taken to give effect to that commitment. also hope that the forthcoming visits to various countries by members of the UMELCO Standing Panel on Public Utilities will help to promote greater understanding in Hong Kong of civil nuclear power in general, and of the Daya Bay project in particular. assure you that we shall continue to do all we can to meet the concerns of Hong Kong people in this connection.

I

Where the development of représentative government is concerned, significant reforms were introduced in September last year, when 24 of the 56 seats in the Legislative Council were filled by indirect elections. These reforms have settled down well. We shall continue

Robert Parry Esq MP

House of Commons

LONDON SW1A OAA