TNAG-1719-FCO40-2399-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-1988 — Page 110

KW

dti

the department for Enterprise

Wong Wai-hung

Federation of Civil Service Unions

PO Box 74601

Kowloon Central Post Office

Hong Kong

Direct line 01 215 5273

Our ref

Your ref

Date

14 February 1988

Mr

Department of Trade and Industry

1-19 Victoria Street London SW1H 0ET

Switchboard

01-215 7877

Telex 8811074/5 DTHQ G

Fax 01-222 2629

Dear Wong Wai-hung

Thank you for your letter of 13 January (to which I have been asked to reply) addressed to the Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and The Hon Alan Clark MP Minister for Trade, regarding the debate on Hong Kong in the House of Commons on 20 January. Unfortunately, neither Minister was able to be present at the debate owing to a prior commitment.

As the Foreign Secretary made clear in the House on 20 January and again on 10 February, Her Majesty's Government are committed to the steady development of representative government in Hong Kong. But it would be wrong to seek to impose any particular form or model. Hong Kong is unique in many ways, and it will need to develop its own system of government suited to its own requirements. Such a system should evolve to meet the changing aspirations of the Hong Kong people and reflect Hong Kong's special circumstances and conditions, in the future as in the past.

As you will know, on 10 February the Hong Kong Government published a White Paper, "The Development of Representative Government: the Way Forward". The White Paper discussed the full range of issues which have been the subject of widespread consul- tation and intense debate in Hong Kong. On direct elections, the decision is to introduce ten directly elected members into the Legislative Council in 1991.

This decision marks a major step forward in the development of representative government in Hong Kong. It follows a substantial restructuring of the Legislative Council in 1985 when 24 indirectly elected members were introduced. It continues in a clear and

decisive way the steady progress of development of representative government in Hong Kong and looks forward with confidence to a system that will continue after the transfer of sovereignty in 1997.

cont

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