TNAG-2448-FCO40-3564-Elections-in-Hong-Kong-Basic-Law-1992 — Page 8

CONFIDENTIAL

MARE ai/10

pn. Ruchons (Br)

оттов

00171 MDHIAN 5411

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

Z

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 2582

OF 290932Z OCTOBER 92

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

ELECTION COMMITTEE

1. IN BACKGROUND BRIEFING, WE ARE TRYING TO GET ACROSS THAT THE CHINESE POSITION ON THE ELECTION COMMITTEE WAS UNDECIDED AS RECENTLY AS SEPTEMBER. WE HAVE FAXED TO YOU, AND ARE NOW FAXING TO PEKING, AN RTHK RADIO 1 REPORT OF 13 APRIL, AN EXPRESS REPORT OF 4 SEPTEMBER AND A WAH KIU YAT PAO REPORT OF 14 SEPTEMBER.

2. ACCORDING TO THE RTHK REPORT, LU PING TOLD RADIO 1 THAT THE CHINESE SIDE WAS NOW STUDYING THE QUESTION OF DEMARCATING THE CONSTITUTIONAL BOUNDARIES, DEFINING THE CONSTITUENCIES, AND THE QUESTION OF THE ELECTION COMMITTEE WHICH WILL IN FUTURE PRODUCE 10 MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE. AFTER THE STUDY CHINA WOULD WIDELY CONSULT HONG KONG PEOPLE'S VIEWS, AND WOULD THEN DISCUSS WITH THE BRITISH SIDE THE QUESTION OF CONVERGENCE.

3. DURING THE SUMMER THE CRC VISITED PEKING. THERE IS UNFORTUNATELY NO PUBLIC REPORT OF THE SORT OF ELECTION COMMITTEE WHICH THEY DISCUSSED WITH LU PING, ALTHOUGH WE UNDERSTOOD FROM ALLEN LEE AT THE TIME THAT THE CHINESE WERE THINKING OF A SMALL COMMITTEE OF AROUND 100, WITH HALF OF THE MEMBERSHIP NOMINATED BY THE BRITISH AND HALF BY THE CHINESE. THE WAH KIU YAT PAO REPORT OF 14 SEPTEMBER GIVES A SIMILAR INDICATION OF THIS CHINESE THINKING, QUOTING A 'CHINESE SOURCE'. THE REPORTER WHO WROTE THE ARTICLE HAS TOLD US THAT THIS WAS LU PING. THE REPORT SAYS THAT CHINA'S THINKING IS TO MODEL THE COMPOSITION OF THE ELECTION COMMITTEE ON THAT OF THE AIRPORT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE, WITH ABOUT HALF THE MEMBERS BEING NOMINATED BY THE BRITISH SIDE AND HALF BY THE CHINESE SIDE. PRELIMINARY THINKING OF THE CHINESE SIDE WAS THAT THE ELECTION COMMITTEE SHOULD NOT BE TOO BIG. 100-200 MEMBERS WOULD BE ABOUT RIGHT.

4. THE EXPRESS ARTICLE REPORTS THE VISIT OF THE GROUP OF INDEPENDENT LEGCO MEMBERS LED BY ELSIE TU. IT STATES THAT MEMBERS OF THE DELEGATION POINTED OUT TO LU PING THAT THE BASIC LAW DID NOT SET OUT IN DETAIL HOW TO FORM THE 10 SEATS TO BE RETURNED BY

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