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010270 MDHIAN 2125
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CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO DESKBY 26083OZ FCO
TELNO 699
OF 260239Z APRIL 89
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
MIPT: FAC IN PEKING: CALL ON LI HOU (DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL STATE COUNCIL HKMO AND SECRETARY-GENERAL OF BLDC).
1. MAIN THEMES: MODALITIES OF DRAFTING BL, ROLE AND METHOD OF APPOINTMENT OF CE, QUOTE BILL OF RIGHTS UNQUOTE, NPC'S RIGHT TO INTERPRET BL.
DETAIL
2. HOWELL RAISED 4 ISSUES CAUSING CONCERN IN HONG KONG: DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN RIGHTS, ARTICLE 157, AND NATIONALITY.
3. LI HOU (WHO WAS ACCOMPANIED BY SHAO TIANREN, SHAO WEIYUN AND WANG SHUWEN) LAUNCHED INTO A 65-MINUTE STATEMENT ON THE DRAFTING AND CONTENT OF THE BL. HE STRESSED THE TRANSPARENCY OF THE DRAFTING PROCESS. ALTHOUGH THIS WAS CHINA'S AFFAIR HE UNDERSTOOD WHY BRITAIN AS A SIGNATORY OF THE JD SHOULD BE INTERESTED AND CHINA WAS OPEN TO ANY PROPOSALS THAT MET THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS (STABILITY ETC). OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS THERE HAD BEEN GROWING CONTACT WITH THE BRITISH SIDE IN THIS CONNECTION AND MANY OPINIONS HAD BEEN TAKEN FROM HONG KONG. WHEN THE NPC PASSED THE BL IT WOULD IN EFFECT BE REAFFIRMING THE JD.
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4 LI HOU READ OUT EXTRACTS FROM THE CURRENT DRAFT BL SHOWING SIGNIFICANT REVISIONS FROM THE FIRST DRAFT. HE NOTED THAT THE CHINESE STATE HAD TO RETAIN CERTAIN POWERS. ON THE SELECTION OF THE CE AND OTHER ASPECTS OF POLITICAL STRUCTURE, THE JD HAD LEFT THE DETAILS OPEN. HONG KONG SHOULD COPY NEITHER THE PRC MODEL NOR OTHER MODELS. HK'S STATUS AND SITUATION MUST BE BORNE IN MIND. THE POLITICAL STRUCTURE MUST PROMOTE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY, EFFICIENT ADMINISTRATION AND THE INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE: AND MUST BE ACCEPTABLE TO THE MAJORITY OF CITIZENS. DEVELOPMENT MUST BE GRADUAL.
5. THE CE WOULD NEED CERTAIN POWERS FOR EFFICIENCY BUT WAS ALSO SUBJECT TO CONSTRAINTS. ON HIS SELECTION, OPINIONS IN THE BLDC
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