TNAG-1839-FCO40-2614-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 36

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ANNEX 1

SUMMARY OF MAIN PROVISIONS OF FIRST ANNEX TO THE JOINT DECLARATION

Section I: Constitutional Arrangements and Government Structure

Except in

The key points in this section are that a Basic Law will be enacted

by China, stipulating that the socialist system and socialist

policies practised in the PRC shall not be extended to the Hong Kong

Special Administrative Region (SAR) and that Hong Kong's capitalist

system and lifestyle shall remain unchanged for 50 years.

relation to foreign affairs and defence, the Hong Kong SAR will enjoy a high degree of autonomy, including executive, legislative and independent judicial power. The Government and legislature of the Hong Kong SAR will be composed of local inhabitants. The Chief

Executive will be selected by election or through consultations held

locally and will be appointed by the Central People's Government.

The legislature will be constituted by elections. The executive authorities will be required to act in accordance with the law and

will be accountable to the legislature.

Section II: The Laws

This section describes how the Hong Kong SAR will have its own

system of laws after 1997. The law of the SAR will include the

common law and laws passed by the legislature of the SAR. Current Hong Kong laws and those enacted after 1997 by the legislature will be valid provided they do not contravene the Basic Law, which will stipulate the policies stated in the Joint

Declaration.

Section III: The Judicial System

This section provides for the maintenance of Hong Kong's existing legal system essentially unchanged. The system of appeal to the Privy Council will be replaced by a system based on a Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong. The independence of the judiciary, the