HkB
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15 DEC 1987
The Rt. Hon. Mrs. Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister
6697:11/2
8th December 1987
in
Joint Hong
Dear Prime Minister,
Two days af ter
the forma l signing of the Declaration in Beijing, you gave а press conference Kong on 21st December 1984. You said :
"The agreement is regarded as a good one by the overwhelming majority of the people of Hong Kong and the British Government are firmly committed
carrying out the agreement to the full Chinese Government
which
I
•
believe
to
SO too are the It is an agreement that the Chinese
Government will honour, and it has been signed in the eyes of the world, and it is a good agreement. I believe that it will be honoured to the full."
the
it.
Your statement that
Joint Declaration had the support of the overwhelming majority of the people of Hong Kong h ad to be viewed in the light that the people of Hong Kong were
on reservations really given Hobson's choice; and many had But the majority of the people of Hong Kong found it generally acceptable,
they had be en promi sed by the British Government
they would have government
because
a
of "the
institutions
11
that in place before 1997, which included the development
status of the two representative
ma in central the Executive Council and the (Richard Luce, 25th May, 1984, in the
democratic
system
of
assurances
government,
the
British
government Legislative Council.
House of Commons.) Based on such opinion from Hong Kong, and
of democracy from their own
Parliament also accepted the Joint Declaration.
A public opinion poll conducted in Hong Kong in November 1984 showed that 81% of the people polled thought that the terms of
the Joint Declaration were "very good" and "quite good". But this percentage dropped to only 28% by
1987. July Another poll conducted in August 1987 showed that only 16% wanted Hong Kong to be a Special Administration Region as planned in 1997, whereas 70% preferred to see Hong Kong to remain part of Britain, or be independent. are set out in
Annex 1.
Today
the great
These
poll
results
majority of the people of Hong Kong do not believe that the Join t Declaration will be fully implemented by both the British and Chinese Governments or that Hong Kong people will be allowed to administer Hong Kong high degree of autonomy. They no longer believe that the "one country two systems" policy
succeed. And So, many who others are making
could
will
leave Hong Kong have left; and
with
a
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