TNAG-1602-FCO40-2198-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Basic-Law-1987 — Page 44

(11)

WHETHER THEY WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE RETURN OF THE SOVEREIGNTY OVER HK TO CHINA AND THE TERRITORIAL UNITY OF

CHINA?

(11) WHETHER THEY WOULD ENHANCE THE CONFIDENCE OF HK PEOPLE, AND OF PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD TOWARDS HK?

(IV)

WHETHER THEY WOULD AFFECT THE EFFICIENCY OF THE OPERATION

OF THE FUTURE GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY?

4.

RAYSON HUANG SAID THAT THE CONFIDENCE OF HK PEOPLE TOWARDS THE FUTURE SEEMED TO HAVE FADED RECENTLY. HE SUGGESTED THAT THE BL SHOULD ADHERE TO THE JD AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE SO AS TO MAINTAIN

CONFIDENCE.

(B)

5.

THE INCLUSION OF THE TERM ''NEW TERRITORIES'' IN THE PREAMBLE

THERE WAS LENGTHY DISCUSSION ON WHETHER THE TERM 'NEW TERRIT- ORIES' SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE PREAMBLE. SOME MEMBERS SUGGESTED REVISING THE ORIGINAL FORMULA, I.E. ''HK, INCLUDING HK ISLAND, KOWLOON PENINSULA SOUTH OF THE SHENZHEN RIVER AND NEARBY ISLANDS'' AS FOLLOWS: THK, INCLUDING HK ISLAND, KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES''' BUT THERE WAS SOME OBJECTION.

·

6.

LU PING SAID THAT THE BL SHOULD AVOID THE TERM ''NEW TERRIT- ORIES' BECAUSE OF ITS COLONIAL CONNOTATIONS. HE SAID THAT THE PREAMBLE SHOULD SET OUT THE TERRITORIES OF THE HK SAR. BUT THE TERM 'NEW TERRITORIES' WAS NOT A GEOGRAPHICAL CONCEPT AND IT DID NOT APPEAR IN CHINESE MAPS. GEOGRAPHICALLY, THE REGION WAS KOWLOON

PENINSULA.

#

7. WHEN ASKED WHETHER OTHER PLACE NAMES IN HK WITH COLONIAL CONNOTATIONS WOULD ALSO NEED TO BE CHANGED, LU PING SAID THAT IT WOULD BE FOR THE SARG TO CONSIDER. AS REGARDS THE TERM 'INDIGENOUS NEW TERRITORIES RESIDENTS'', HE EXPLAINED THAT THAT WAS A SPECIAL TERM AND **NEW TERRITORIES' WAS USED TO DENOTE AN ADMINISTRATIVE REGION. HE REASSURED THAT THE RIGHTS OF THE INDIGENOUS NEW TERRIT- ORIES RESIDENTS WOULD NOT BE AFFECTED EVEN IF THE TERM 'NEW TERRITORIES' DID NOT APPEAR IN THE PREAMBLE OF THE BL. REFERRING TO THE INCLUSION OF THE TERM 'NEW TERRITORIES'' IN THE JD, LU SAID THAT THE JD WAS A TREATY BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND THE CHINESE, BUT THE BL WAS A PRC LAW, AND IT WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR IT TO INCLUDE THE TERM ''NEW TERRITORIES''.

1

8. CHINESE MEMBER WANG TIEYA SAID THAT THE TERM 'NEW TERRITORIES'' WAS NOT USED AS A GEOGRAPHICAL TERM IN THE JD. IN SPITE OF ITS COLONIAL CONNOTATIONS, IT COULD CONTINUE TO BE USED TO DELINEATE ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONS.

9. RAYSON HUANG ALSO SAID THAT THE BL WAS DIFFERENT FROM THE JD AND THAT THE BL SHOULD USE WORDS WHICH THE MAINLAND CHINESE COULD

UNDERSTAND.

RESTRICTED

110.