TNAG-1470-FCO40-1999-Visits-by-Chinese-officials-to-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 59

Full Text of an NCNÁ Dispatch from KK carried by the papers on 3.1.86

The first issue of the overseas edition of the Outlook Weekly has published remarks made by State Councillor and HK and Macau affair Office director Ji Pengfei during his visit to HK last month. following is the full text of the article:

The

At a meeting with people from the labour and education sectors, the joint conference of student groups on the Basic Law as well as other community groups, State Councillor and the director of the HK and Macau Affairs Office, Ji Pengfei, talked about the drafting of the Basic Law and answered questions on issues about which people were concerned.

During the meeting, Mr Ji first listened to the views put forward by the participants. He felt that those views were very good. Then, be said he was very happy to meet the participants. He said this was the first time he had visited HK. Being the chairman of the BLDC, he had a duty to come to HK to look at the situation here and to meet people in the various sectors. He said he not only had to meet people in the upper and middle classes, but also people of the grassroots in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the situation here. The labour and education sectors were an important part of the social services.

He went on to say that the drafting of the Basic Law would not be completed with only oné visit to HK by himself. The BLDC would send working groups to HK to discuss with people in the upper, middle and grassroots level to gain a detailed and practical understanding of the situation here. Those who would be coming would understand people's views and opinions and would hold in-depth discussions with them. In order to maintain HK's stability and prosperity particularly the stability and prosperity of the territory after 1997, people's views on some key questions would have to be listened to so that the Basic law would be in line with the wishes of HK people and in line with the requirements of the overall situation. The drafting of the Basic Law was not a matter that would only take a couple of years. Drafting work would last until 1990. There would be more than four years for discussions by people.

The Joint Declaration would be the principal foundation for drafting the Basic Law. As regards to the concrete details, the Joint Declaration could not possibly be too detailed. Even the Basic Law could not possibly contain too many concrete details. IK would be restricted in exercising its high degree of autonomy if too many concrete details were set out. But the Basic Law had to be more

detailed than the Joint Declaration to provide a long-term legal framework. New questions would inevitably come up as the situation developed. The legislature in IK could introduce supplementary legislation under the principles of the Basic Law. Our thinking was that on the one hand, the Basic Law would be slightly more detailed than the Joint Declaration by spelling out clearly matters of principle while on the other hand, the IK SAR would enjoy a high degree of autonomy, have its power to legislate, and introduce certain concrete laws to supplement the Basic Law.