TNAG-1474-FCO40-2005-Visits-by-MPs-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 36

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5.

residents.

economic

The Group has now met on four occasions, most recently in London from 22-25 July 1986. It has held wide-ranging discussions on a number of subjects including Hong Kong's external relations, the continued application of international rights and

obligations to

to Hong Kong, and travel documentation for Hong Kong

Agreement has been reached on Hong Kong's future

participation in the Asian Development bank, on how to ensure Hong

future activity in Kong's

the GATT, on the

of establishment

and separate Hong Kong shipping register,

on a number of issues

relating to transitional arrangements for passports and travel

documents. We have used the JLG meetings

the JLG meetings to brief the Chinese on Hong Kong's plans to localise the civil service, to expand the police force, and to introduce a new pensions code.

6.

uncertainty over

a

The Group is building up a body of solid achievement in a

number of important areas.

After initial

its

establishment, reaction in Hong Kong to the Group's achievements has been generally positive. The next meeting of the JLG will be in Peking from 25-28 November.

Basic Law

7.

on

The provisions of Annex I to the Joint Declaration, setting out the detailed policies for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China after 1997, are to be spelt out in a Basic Law

for the SAR. The Chinese

Chinese have established a Basic Law Drafting

Committee to begin work on this including a number of Hong Kong residents (23 out of a total of 59 members). The BLDC has now met three occasions and has established five special sub-groups to handle particularly sensitive issues, such as the political system. The Chinese have also established a Basic Law Consultative Committee in Hong Kong consisting of 180 members from a wide cross-section of

including Hong Kong

15

Committee has embarked on a series of meetings to discuss various aspects of the Basic Law. The intention is that the Consultative Committee, by virtue of its widely drawn membership, should reflect all shades of Hong Kong opinion to the Drafting Committee. We have welcomed the Chinese intention to consult widely in Hong Kong on the drafting of the Basic Law.

Kong society,

expatriates.

The

Consultative

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