TNAG-1720-FCO40-2400-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-1988 — Page 122

Rt. Hon. Margaret Thatcher

Prime Minister

10 Downing Street

London, S.W. 1

March 2,

1988

United Kingdom

Dear Prime Minister Thatcher,

We are writing to ask for the British government's support for early and direct elections in Hong Kong.

We understand that under current British policy, the colony's citizens will only have the power to elect 10 out of 57 members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council. This policy flies in the face of the assurances for direct elections provided to the people of Hong Kong following the signing of the accord in 1984. We believe that the citizens of Hong Kong deserve to be given a much stronger voice in their own affairs.

Leaders of the pro-election groups in Hong Kong are calling for a larger number of directly elected representatives. We believe that it is essential to strengthen Hong Kong's democratic institutions long before the Chinese promulgate their 1991 outline for governing Hong Kong.

The transfer of Hong Kong from British to Chinese control has important economic ramifications for our country. U.S. investment in Hong Kong last year totalled $6.0 billion, while Hong Kong exported $11.1 billion, or 31% of its exports, to the U.S.

As you know, the prospect of Chinese interference in Hong Kong's economic system has already had visable effects. More than 10,000 Hong Kong residents plan to flee the colony this year for Australia, Canada, and the U.S. Last year, more than 20,000 Canadian immigrant visas were reportedly issued to Hong Kong investors, entrepreneurs, and independent skilled migrants.

These economic and political realities underscore the need for the establishment of strong democratic institutions and practices long before the colony reverts to Chinese control. With such institutions in place, the Chinese government would have to pay too high a price to dismantle freely elected democratic institutions. This is why we believe you must ensure that all or a much higher proportion of the Legislative Council is directly elected before 1991.

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John Elward Porter

Sincerely,

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