TNAG-1591-FCO40-2176-Appointment-of-Sir-David-Wilson-as-new-Governor-of-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 95

GRS 350

RESTRICTED.

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 510

OF 12091OZ FEBRUARY 87

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

RESTRICTED

LU

PING

TEL

HONG KONG AGREEMENT : RESTRICTED : BASIC LAW: CONVERGENCE WITH

POLITICAL REFORMS: PRESS REPORT

LU PING'S REMARKS ON POLITICAL REFORMS IN HK, MADE ON THE

EVE OF THE MEETING OF THE BLDC SPECIAL GROUP ON POLITICAL SYSTEM

HELD IN KUNMING, WAS WIDELY REPORTED IN THE PRESS TODAY (THOUGH

SOMEWHAT INACCURATELY BY SCM POST). HE WAS QUOTED TO HAVE MADE

THE FOLLOWING POINTS:

(A)

(B)

(C)

WHEN ASKED IF IT WOULD BE TOO HASTY TO INTRODUCE DIRECT

ELECTION TO LEGCO IN 1988 GIVEN THAT THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE.

BL WOULD NOT YET BE READY (SIC), LU PING SAID THAT IT WOULD

BE BEST IF PUBLIC VIEWS ON THIS ISSUE REACHED A CONSENSUS

FIRST. AT PRESENT, PUBLIC OPINIONS WERE STILL DIVERSE AND

IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO DRAW A CONCLUSION AT THIS STAGE.

REFORMS OF THE REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT SYSTEM SHOULD

CONVERGE WITH THE BL: ONLY THEN WOULD THERE BE A SMOOTH

TRANSITION. IF POLITICAL REFORMS WERE CARRIED OUT HASTILY

NOW AND DID NOT CONVERGE WITH THE BL, IT WOULD THEN BE

NECESSARY TO OVERTURN THEM AND TO INTRODUCE NEW ARRANGEMENTS

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BL: THIS WOULD NOT BE BENEFICIAL TO

HONG KONG,

LU REFUSED TO BE DRAWN ON THE QUESTION AS TO WHETHER THE

CHINESE SIDE CONSIDERED THAT POLITICAL REFORMS SHOULD ONLY

TAKE PLACE IN HK AFTER 1990. HE REITERATED THAT BOTH SIDES

NEED TO LOOK AT THE VIEWS OF THE HK PEOPLE AND THAT ONE SHOULD

NOT RUSH AT A DECSION.

HE DISMISSED THE ALLEGATION THAT THE CHINESE SIDE HAD ALREADY

RULED OUT DIRECT ELECTION FOR THE FIRST SAR GOVERNMENT AS

GROUNDLESS. HE SAID THAT THE FORMATION OF THE FIRST SAR

GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT BE UNILATERALLY DECIDED BY THE CHINESE

SIDE, BUT WOULD BE DECIDED BY THE BLDC.

RESTRICTED

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