TNAG-1843-FCO40-2618-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 184

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MDHOAN 7377

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 685

OF 161745Z MARCH 89

INFO IMMEDIATE BTC HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG, PEKING

PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM PAUL, HKD

FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: LINE OF QUESTIONING FOR SECRETARY OF STATE'S APPEARANCE 22 MARCH

1. THE COMMITTEE CLERK HAS NOW GIVEN US IN CONFIDENCE AN INDICATION OF THE LINE OF QUESTIONING FOR THE SECRETARY

OF STATE'S FORMAL EVIDENCE SESSION ON 22 MARCH ALTHOUGH THIS SHOULD ONLY BE REGARDED AS A GENERAL GUIDE. THE SESSION WILL BE

BROADCAST LIVE IN HONG KONG.

2. THE CLERK HAS STRESSED THAT THE COMMITTEE REGARD THIS FIRST EVIDENCE SESSION PRIMARLY AS AN INFORMATION GATHERING EXERCISE. THE SESSION WILL BE DIVIDED INTO 3 MAIN SECTIONS ALONG THE LINES OF THE ENQUIRY'S TERMS OF REFERENCE FOLLOWED BY A FINAL SECTION ON PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE.

A: THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN IMPLEMENTING THE JOINT DECLARATION, INCLUDING PREPARATIONS FOR A SMOOTH TRANSFER OF GOVERNMENT.

(I) JLG:

WHAT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE BY THE JLG? MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS TO

DATE?

-

FUTURE PROSPECTS FOR THE JLG, INCLUDING ROLE AFTER 1997? (II) BASIC LAW

WHAT IS STATUS OF THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VERSION? WILL

CHINESE-LANGUAGE VERSION CARRY MORE WEIGHT, IF THE FINAL POWER

OF INTERPRETATION LIES WITH NPC STANDING COMMITTEE?

-

GENERAL VIEWS ON THE SECOND DRAFT? DO WE REGARD IT AS SATISFACTORY/ A GREAT IMPROVEMENT?

JUDICIAL AND LEGISLATIVE ASPECTS :

IS ARTICLE 157 CONSISTENT WITH PROVISION FOR AN INDEPENDENT

JUDICIARY AND LEGISLATURE IN THE JOINT DECLARATION?

- BUDGETARY PROVISIONS: ARE THESE PROVISIONS SATISFACTORY,

INCLUDING THE CHANGE OF WORDING IN THE ENGLISH TEXT?

HUMAN RIGHTS:

- ARE THESE PROVISIONS SATISFACTORY?

-

THE CONSTITUTIONS OF A NUMBER OF OTHER DEPENDENT TERRITORIES

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