TNAG-1448-FCO40-1947-Executive-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-meet-1986 — Page 103

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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 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.

The

It is only realistic to recongise 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. existence before 1 July 1997 of a Chief Executive designated by China but not formally integrated into the Government

structure would constitute a potentially dangerous alternative focus of political power. This could cause political instability, and accentuate an erosion of the Governor's

authority which is in any event likely to prove inevitable.

If institutions and the community could direct themselves to