the White Paper: this reinforces my view that it represents a balanced and reasonable response to the views of the community as whole and will serve to maintain and enhance confidence in the future because it offers the clear prospect of continuity in the development of Hong Kong's system of government over and beyond
1997.
In
6. The next important date for Hong Kong will occur in early May. It is a date to which people in Hong Kong are looking forward with understandable interest and which has, I suspect, prompted the hon Member for Wrexham to raise Hong Kong in this morning's debate. early May the Chinese Government will publish the first draft of the The Basic Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Law is the legal instrument whereby the People's Republic of China will implement the policies for the Hong Kong Special Administrative
As such, Region as set out in the Sino-British Joint Declaration. it will enshrine the fundamental principles of the Joint Declaration, namely that Hong Kong's capitalist system and lifestyle shall remain unchanged for 50 years, and that the Special Administrative Region will enjoy a high degree of autonomy, including executive legislative and independent judicial powers.
7. There may be those who would wish to draw a comparison between the draft Basic Law when it appears and the present constitution of Hong Kong. But this is essentially a false and misleading
comparison. The Basic Law bears no relation to the present constitution of Hong Kong. They are two very different concepts.
8.
The written constitution of Hong Kong is set out in the Letters Patent, which establish the basic framework of the administration of Hong Kong and which, together with the Royal Instructions, lay down procedures which must be followed. There are, in addition, various well established practices which substantially affect the operation of this formal constitution, and there is extensive consultation with the community on all major issues of policy and the conduct of the administration. The combined effect of the constitution and these practices forms the practice of government in Hong Kong.
9.
The Basic Law, on the other hand, will be a law enacted by the
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