and prosperity.
7. From October 1983, the two sides began to examine in detail how to devise arrangements which would secure for Hong Kong after 1997 a high degree of autonomy under Chinese sovereignty; and which would enable Hong Kong, as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, to preserve its existing way of life and the essential elements of its present system. A great deal of work was required in order to turn this concept that of "one country two systems" into a written agreement that embodied such arrangements with sufficient clarity and precision to be acceptable to the British Government. The Foreign Secretary paid two visits to Peking in April and July 1984, during both of which substantial progress was made. That paved the way to final agreement: the texts were initialled on 26 September 1984.
III.
8.
Consultation with the people of Hong Kong
The negotiations were conducted on a strictly confidential
basis. But the British Government had made it clear from the outset
that any agreement on Hong Kong's future would have to be acceptable to the people of Hong Kong. The Governor of Hong Kong was a member of the British negotiating team. Members of the Executive Council,
the Governor's closest advisers, were kept fully informed of developments. The Foreign Secretary consulted the Executive Council
before each of his visits to China. Our negotiating position was
helpfully and decisively influenced by their advice. The Governor
and members of the Executive Council visited London on several
occasions, for talks with the Prime Minister and other Ministers; and British Ministers paid a series of visits to the territory to keep in direct touch with opinion there, including in particular with Members of the Legislative Council.
9.
After the Joint Declaration was initialled in September 1984, an Assessment Office was set up in Hong Kong to analyse and assess the views of Hong Kong people on the draft. To ensure complete impartiality, the work of the Assessment Office was overseen by two
eminent independent monitors. The Assessment Office found that the
draft had been widely accepted by the people of the territory: there
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