TNAG-1863-FCO40-2643-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Basic-Law-1989 — Page 80

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CONFIDENTIAL

AKB 012 11 012/1

26

136733

MDHIAN 2614

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 364 4

OF 02073OZ NOVEMBER 89

for

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

(263

YOUR TELNO. 2215: BASIC LAW: DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CHINESE

FORWARD

THE WAY

WE ARE CONTENT WITH THE GENERAL STRATEGY PROPOSED IN TUR. WE AGREE THAT THE FIFOOT/SHAO LETTER COVERING A COPY OF THE LINGUISTIC CRITIQUE SHOULD ISSUE BY NEXT WEEK IN THE HOPE THAT IT WILL BE STUDIED BY MAINLAND DRAFTERS BEFORE THEY BECOME FULLY TIED UP WITH THE DIALOGUE WITH BLCC MEMBERS IN GUANGZHOU ON 21-22 NOVEMBER.

2. WE ALSO AGREE THAT A LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO QIAN COVERING THE OVERALL CRITIQUE (WHICH WE ASSUME WILL BE THE ADAPTED VERSION BY FIFOOT AS SUGGESTED IN FCO TELNO 2022) IS NECESSARY BOTH TO DRIVE THE POINTS HOME AND TO MEET PUBLIC QUERIES. THIS LETTER, WE FEEL, SHOULD BE SENT EARLIER RATHER THAN LATER TO GIVE THE CHINESE TIME TO STUDY IT, IN PARTICULAR THE OVERALL CRITIQUE. SINCE MAINLAND DRAFTERS WILL BE GOING TO GUANGZHOU ON 10 DECEMBER TO ATTEND MEETINGS OF BLDC SPECIAL GROUPS, WE FEEL WE SHOULD AIM AT HANDING OVER THE LETTER NO LATER THAN 27 NOVEMBER SO THAT THEY WILL HAVE TWO CLEAR WEEKS TO STUDY THE OVERALL CRITIQUE.

3. WE SUGGEST THAT THE LETTER TO QIAN COULD POINT AGAIN TO THE JLG AS A FORUM TO DISCUSS APPROPRIATE BL MATTERS, IN PARTICULAR THOSE INVOLVING QUESTIONS OF CONSISTENCY WITH JD

4. IN REFERRING TO THE QUESTION OF POLITICAL STRUCTURE, THE LETTER SHOULD, WE THINK, NOT ONLY REITERATE THE NEED TO RESPOND POSITIVELY TO THE EMERGING CONSENSUS AMONG HONG KONG PEOPLE, BUT ALSO POINT OUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS: THE SYSTEM MUST BE ONE WHICH IS CONDUCIVE TO THE PROPER AND EFFICIENT CONDUCT OF GOVERNMENT BUSINESS INCLUDING LEGISLATIVE ACTION, AND WHICH REPRESENTS A GRADUAL EVOLUTION FROM THE PRESENT SYSTEM, MAINTAINING CONTINUITY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. IT IS NECESSARY FOR THE LETTER TO MAKE THIS POINT TO FOREWARN THE CHINESE SUBTLY OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF RADICAL CHANGES SUCH AS THOSE INHERENT IN A BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE.

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Redacted under FOI exemption 27(1)|