TNAG-2008-FCO40-2856-Basic-Law-constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-relations-1990 — Page 79

Miss Major

W 81

From the Private Secretary

DIE

SECRET

ET MON

10 DOWNING STREET

Sean Stepler,

LONDON SWIA 2AA

Hieb

012/1

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

24 JAN1990

DESK

8

INDEX

HONG KONG: F

KY

ник

Tel to the

Pomala

RYM Maude

PY/PUS M fillane Milresta

M. Mclare

Frannes Hand News Defle

8 January 1990

ITIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Kull

The Prime Minister has hsidered the Foreign Secretary's minute of 4 January about Hong Kong's future constitutional development and the approach to be taken by the Governor during his meetings in Peking later this week. She has commented that there is not much point in quarrelling with the Chinese over whether there should be 18 or 20 directly-elected seats in 1991. She thinks that the Governor's main task should be to explore what flexibility there may be in the Chinese position on the number of directly-elected seats in later years. The point he should make is that he will have acute difficulty in Hong Kong with anything below 20, and his chances of persuading Hong Kong opinion to keep to a lower figure (e.g. 18) will depend on there being an upward slope, giving additional directly-elected seats at various points in the future.

87;

In short the Governor should not be so emphatic as proposed in paragraph 7 of the Foreign Secretary's minute that anything less than 20 directly-elected seats in 1991 is unacceptable (while of course making clear that this is what LEGCO wants). His main task should be rather to establish whether there is any flexibility in the Chinese position for later years (i.e. up to 1997 and beyond). It will then be up to Ministers, in the light of the Governor's visit and that by the Foreign Secretary to Hong Kong, to make up their minds on what to do about 1991.

your diarrh

Zu

su

(C. D. POWELL)

15

Stephen Wall, Esq.,

Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

SECRET