SECRET
073427
HKCB 01214
RECEIVED IN
O 2FEB 1990
DESK OFFICER
MDHIAN 4785
TOP COPY Q DIST?
SECRET
FM HONG KONG
TELNO 392
TO DESKBY 01110OZ FCO INDEX
OF 010945Z FEBRUARY 90.
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
23
YOUR TELNO 269: CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: GEC, VOTING AND NATIONALITY
1. OUR COMMENTS ON THE POINTS RAISED IN TUR ARE AS FOLLOWS:
(1) MY TELNO. 376 VOTING PROCEDURES
WE ARE CONTENT WITH YOUR SUGGESTIONS.
(2) MY TELNO 377: NATIONALITY/RIGHT OF ABODE
(A) WE AGREE WITH THE CHANGES YOU PROPOSE.
(B) ON RE-READING PARAGRAPH 6 OF THE DRAFT TEXT, WE THINK THE WORD ''WOULD' IN THE SECOND LINE SHOULD BE REPLACED BY ''COULD'' SO AS TO AVOID A POSSIBLE CHINESE RIPOSTE THAT THE PROBLEM WAS CREATED BY THE BRITISH SIDE IN OFFERING THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE.
(C) ONE MORE POINT HAS OCCURED TO US, I.E. THE POSITION OF NON- ETHNIC CHINESE WHO ONLY HAVE A RIGHT OF ABODE IN HONG KONG. IT WOULD SEEM UNFAIR TO INCLUDE THEM IN THE 15 PERCENT. WE THEREFORE SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL PARAGRAPH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE ORIGINAL PARAGRAPH 5 AND FOLLOWING THE RELOCATED PARAGRAPH 6:
QUOTE. WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR CLARIFICATION AS TO WHETHER IT IS THE INTENTION TO INCLUDE IN THE 15 PERCENT PROVISION PERMANENT RESIDENTS WHO ARE NOT ETHNIC CHINESE BUT WHO HAVE A RIGHT OF ABODE ONLY IN HONG KONG. WE ASSUME THAT THIS IS NOT/NOT THE INTENTION SINCE UNDER THE PRINCIPLE OF ''HONG KONG PEOPLE ADMINISTERING HONG KONG'' SUCH PERSONS COULD ONLY BE CONSIDERED ARE HONG KONG PEOPLE. UNQUOTE. WE WOULD THEN NEED TO INSERT THE WORD 'ALSO'' AS THE FOURTH WORD OF THE NEW PARA 8.
(3) MY TELNO 378: GEC
Redacted under FOI exemption sections 27 (1)(a), (c), (d)
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