TNAG-1443-FCO40-1927-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 68

$

The Nature Of The Problem

SECRET

2.

Ministers

British

At present the administration of Hong Kong is the responsibility

of the Governor of Hong Kong, appointed by The Queen.

have adopted the planning assumption that a resident

Governor, appointed from London, should be retained up to 1997.

3. From 1 July 1997, under the provisions of the Joint Declaration,

a Chief Executive will be appointed for the Hong Kong SAR. He will

be a local inhabitant, selected by election or consultation.

4.

The present powers of the Governor and the future powers of the

Chief Executive will not be identical. At present, although in

practice Hong Kong already exercises a high degree of autonomy, the

Governor is constitutionally subject to the directions of HMG. Under the Joint Declaration the Hong Kong SAR will also enjoy a high

degree of autonomy (except in foreign and defence affairs). However

the powers and responsibilities of the Chief Executive have yet to

be defined by the Chinese Government in

in the Basic Law of the Hong

Kong SAR. The Chinese seem to envisage that he will not exercise

all the powers over the internal administration which, on paper if not in practice, the Governor at present enjoys.

Chinese intentions

5. Chinese drafting of the Basic Law for the Hong Kong SAR is

already under way, and a first draft will be published in 1988. At

present the Chinese appear to envisage that the first Chief

Executive of the Hong Kong SAR would be chosen before 1997 but would

assume a role in the administration only on 1 July 1997.

6. It is only realistic to recognise that as 1997 approaches the

people of Hong Kong and their representatives will be in

increasingly close contact with the Chinese. They will increasingly

look to the Chinese for approval, if not instructions, in their approach to public business. The existence before 1 July 1997 of a Chief Executive designated by China but not formally integrated into

the Government structure would constitute а potentially dangerous alternative focus of political power. This could cause political

SECRET

-2-