November 1992
Senator Paul Simon
United States Senate
Washington DC
Thank you for your letter of 5 November about Hong Kong addressed to the Prime Minister. Your support for the Governor, and for his plans to broaden democratic participation in the territory's affairs, is very much appreciated. I can assure you that both Chris Patten and his proposals have the full backing of the British Government. I enclose an extract of the Governor's speech in which he sets out his package of Constitutional proposals and the thinking behind them. In our view they do not breach either the Joint Declaration of the Basic Law as the Chinese are now claiming.
The response from Peking has been disappointingly hostile and we now face a difficult time ahead as they work to undermine support in Hong Kong both for the Governor personally and for his policies. So far public support has held up well, although there are some understandable signs of nervousness. But it is encouraging that, in spite of crude pressures from Peking, the Hong Kong Legislative Council last week passed a motion of support for the Governor's proposals by quite a comfortable majority (32 - 21). At the end of the day it will be up to Hong Kong people, through their Legislative Council, to decide whether to vote for or against these proposals. Governor has said his bottom line is that they should be acceptable to the people of Hong Kong. In the meantime we continue to hold out to Peking the offer of a constructive dialogue; and we very much hope they will come to accept this in the interests of Hong Kong and in their own interests too. We have invited them to put forward concrete proposals of their own as alternatives to those they dislike, but so far, it must be said, they show no willingness to do this.
Our friends can help be encouraging Chinese leaders to take a position of less paranoid attitude to democracy in Hong Kong. The points which Assistant Secretary Clark made recently to Lu Ping when he visited Washington were a good example of the
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