TNAG-1863-FCO40-2643-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Basic-Law-1989 — Page 214

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FM PEKING

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INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

(239

056514

MDLIAN 8559

DRAFT BASIC LAW.

1

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THE ''CHINA DAILY OF 16 OCTOBER CARRIES A REPORT ENTITLED ''HONG KONG BASIC LAW ''GOOD AS IT IS''. ACCORDING TO THE ARTICLE, A MEETING OF THE BLDC TOOK PLACE IN PEKING ON 14 OCTOBER WHICH WAS PRESIDED OVER BY WANG HANBIN, VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE BLDC, AND ATTENDED BY OVER 40 MEMBERS OF THE N P C STANDING COMMITTEE. MEMBERS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE EXPRESSED THE VIEW THAT THE DRAFT BASIC LAW SHOULD UNDERGO NO (NO) MAJOR CHANGES AS IT WAS ALREADY FAIRLY COMPREHENSIVE AND CONFORMED TO REALITY. THE DRAFT EMBODIED

THE RESTORATION OF CHINA'S SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG AFTER 1997

AND WOULD HELP MAINTAIN THE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY OF HONG KONG

UNDER THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM. VIEWS THAT CHINA SHOULD NOT STATION TROOPS IN HONG KONG AFTER 1997, AND THAT THE RIGHT TO DECLARE A ''STATE OF EMERGENCY'' AND TO ''EXPLAIN'' THE BASIC LAW SHOULD REST WITH THE HKSAR, VIOLATED CHINA'S SOVEREIGNTY. SOME MEMBERS ARE REPORTED TO HAVE PROPOSED THE ADDITION TO THE BASIC LAW OF ARTICLES FORBIDDING ''BRUTAL INTERFERENCE'' IN CHINA'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS, INCLUDING THOSE OF HONG KONG, TOGETHER WITH ARTICLES ON THE USE OF HONG KONG AS A BASE FOR ANTI-CENTRAL GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES.

COMMENT.

OF

2.

THIS REPORT HAS TO OUR KNOWLEDGE ALREADY BEEN PICKED UP BY THE

BBC WORLD SERVICE CON 16 OCTOBER LOCAL TIME). THE SUGGESTION ADDING ''NEGATIVE'' NEW ARTICLES TO THE DRAFT BL MAY ATTRACT CONSIDERABLE ATTENTION AND CONCERN, ESPECIALLY IN HONG KONG. AT PRESENT IT IS HARD TO SAY HOW SERIOUSLY IT SHOULD BE TAKEN: ON THE ONE HAND ONLY ''SOME MEMBERS' MADE IT, ON THE OTHER IT WAS DECIDED TO INCLUDE IT IN AN OFFICIAL NEWS REPORT. AT THE VERY

LEAST I THINK WE OUGHT TO READ THIS AS A WARNING TO THE MORE

AMBITIOUS SECTORS OF OPINION IN HONG KONG THAT THEY WILL BE PUSHING THEIR LUCK IF THEY AIM FOR TOO MUCH CHANGE IN THE PRESENT DRAFT. NEGATIVE CHANGES ARE STILL A PRACTICAL POSSIBILITY, AND THE LATEST DRAFT ALREADY CONTAINS MANY IMPROVEMENTS FAVOURABLE TO HONG KONG WHICH (AS LU PING WARNED THE D PA EARLY THIS YEAR) NOT ALL

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