TNAG-1863-FCO40-2643-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Basic-Law-1989 — Page 217

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MDHOAN 5475

CONFIDENTIAL

HKB

012/1

/012/6

(11)

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 2084

OF 13103OZ OCTOBER 89

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

for

Q DIST?

TOP COPY

119/10

YOUR TELNO 3267: BASIC LAW: UPDATED LINGUISTIC CRITIQUE

1. THE UPDATED CRITIQUE INCLUDES SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGES IN THE CHINESE TEXT AND THE STYLE IN THE REMARKS COLUMN HAS A TENDENCY TO BRUSQUENESS WHICH, THOUGH PERFECTLY UNDERSTANDABLE IN A DOCUMENT OF THIS KIND, NEEDS TO BE EXPLAINED. WE THEREFORE PROPOSE:

(A) TO REPLACE THE TITLE ON THE FOLLOWING LINES:

QUOTE SUGGESTED CHANGES OF A LINGUISTIC, STYLISTIC AND

EDITORIAL CHARACTER TO THE TEXT OF THE FEBRUARY 1989 DRAFT OF THE BASIC LAW UNQUOTE:

(B) THE INSERTION OF A PASSAGE IMMEDIATELY BELOW THAT HEADING IN

BOLD TYPE AND UPPER CASE AS FOLLOWS:

ገ

QUOTE THIS PAPER SETS OUT A NUMBER OF SUGGESTIONS OF A

LINGUISTIC, STYLISTIC AND EDITORIAL CHARACTER FOR CHANGES TO

THE FEBRUARY 1989 TEXT OF THE DRAFT BASIC LAW. THE PROPOSALS ARE ALMOST ENTIRELY TO THE ENGLISH TEXT, BUT THE FOURTH (REMARKS) COLUMN ALSO INCLUDES A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR THE

CHINESE TEXT.

THE PAPER IS A TECHNICAL ONE AND IN ORDER TO KEEP IT WITHIN A REASONABLE SIZE, THE SUGGESTIONS ARE MADE IN BRIEF AND DIRECT LANGUAGE IN THE FORM OF NOTES RATHER THAN IN THE MORE CUSTOMARY FORM APPROPRIATE TO LETTERS BETWEEN DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVES.

UNQUOTE

2. ON THE TEXT OF THE CRITIQUE ITSELF, THE REFERENCE TO 'PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES' IS OMITTED IN RESPECT TO THE PREAMBLE (DESPITE A SIDE HEADING FOR THE PREAMBLE ON PAGE 1) AND ARTICLE 158. WE THINK THESE TWO REFERENCES SHOULD BE REINSERTED IN PART A (AS IN THE EARLIER TEXT OF THE CRITIQUE ENCLOSED WITH MISS YIP'S LETTER OF 10 APRIL) NOTWITHSTANDING THAT THE POINT IS RAISED, IN THE CONTEXT OF ARTICLE 158, IN THE DRAFT FIFOOT/SHAO LETTER. A DUPLICATION IN THIS CONTEXT DOES NOT MATTER. IN ORDER TO INCORPORATE A DIRECT REFERENCE TO THE PREAMBLE IN THE TEXT OF THE BL ITSELF (NOTE (B) ON ARTICLE 18(4) IN MAIN CRITIQUE OF 22 AUGUST 1989), THE SUGGESTION AS REGARDS ARTICLE 158 SHOULD BE ON

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