TNAG-1722-FCO40-2415-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Basic-Law-1988 — Page 223

I

DSR 11 rised Sept 85)

DRAFT: minute/letter/teleletter/despatch/note

FROM:

SECRETARY OF STATE

DEPARTMENT:

BUILDING:

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

TO.

Lord Chancellor/

Top Secret

Secret

Solicitor General

Confidential

Restricted

Unclassified

PRIVACY MARKING

CAVEAT

In Confidence

SUBJECT:

HONG KONG: BASIC LAW

TYPE: Draft/Final 1 +

Reference

JALAZL

TEL. NO:

Your Reference

ROOM NO:

Copies to:

I undertook recently to send you a copy of the draft

Basic Law for Hong Kong, which was published in April and

which has been the subject of an intensive public

consultation exercise in the territory. This is

enclosed.

As you may know, we have been conducting a detailed

confidential dialogue with the Chinese about the draft.

Many of our suggestions are already reflected in the

draft, which we think is shaping up well. There remain

however a number of areas of difficulty, about which

people in Hong Kong have understandably expressed

concern.

These are:

Enclosures flag(s)

whether the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

will enjoy a high degree of autonomy after 1997;

the balance of power between the central

authorities and the HKSAR, particularly in the