TNAG-2448-FCO40-3564-Elections-in-Hong-Kong-Basic-Law-1992 — Page 63

28-OCT-1992

17:38

A.G.'S CHAMBERS

+852 877 2130 P.22

Annex F

Message from

Mr Chen Ziying (Hong Kong & Macau Affairs Office,

State Council) to British Ambassador in Peking

(8 February 1998)

MI

I have reported to Foreign Minister Qian the

message

Ambassador had conveyed to the Chinese side on behalf of the British side on 6 February and I have also passed on the three documents enclosed therewith to our

experts on the Basic Law. I am hereby instructed to give

the following reply:

1.

With regard to the proportion of the directly

elected members, the Chinese side has long made it clear

that if the British side would undertake to have no more

than 18 members directly elected to

the 1991 Hong Kong Legislative Council on a geographical constituency basis,

the Chinese side would consider to increase the number of

the directly elected members in the first Legislative

Council of the SAR to 20. The Chinese side would like to

see this point confirmed in

written form by the British

plenary session of the Drafting

side prior to the ninth

Committee of the Basic Law. Otherwise, the Chinese side

would consider as the final decision the 18 directly

elected seats proposal adopted by the Special Group on the Political Structure of the Basic Law Drafting Committee.

2.

With regard to the electoral committee, the

Chinese side agrees with the five principles concerning the

committee proposed by the British side in the document.

However, the Chinese side maintains that the provisions on

the composition and ratio of the electoral committee as

specified in Paragraph 2 of Annex I of the Basic Law

(Draft) must be followed in terms Of its proportional composition.

This is because Annex I was approved by a

two-thirds majority of the membership of the Drafting Committee at its eighth plenary session. China believes

that its provisions on composition and' ratio are appropriate and should therefore not be subject to change.