TNAG-2709-FCO40-3915-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-and-Par-1993 — Page 68

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

24 March 1993

Dear Colleague

鹹香

Foreign & Commonwealth

Office

London SWIA 2AH

From The Secretary of State

Hong Kong

You will have seen that Chris Patten has now published his draft electoral legislation, and that this has produced

a further wave of criticism from China.

Given your

interest in Hong Kong, I thought that you would want to

know the background.

The tragic events in Tianamen Square had a profound

No. De demand-impact in Hong Kong. For the first time they created a from some sections strong demand that we should cater for the political as if the population

well as the economic aspirations of the people of Hong redules this.

Kong. In September 1991 the first direct elections were 'The OMELLO

held for 18 seats on the Legislative Council (LegCo). "consensus" it

A 1989-secto

strong preponderance of those elected (albeit on a divided

relatively low turnout) were supporters of the United 20-20-20 1991 ?

Democrats led by Mr Martin Lee. They have argued for introducing much greater democracy in advance of 1997.

50-50 in 95 picenter

-me

How did

React? They

After his arrival as Governor, Chris Patten had to

take this demand into account, together with opinion at Westminster and the likely views of the Chinese Government. He produced a carefully judged package, about which the Chinese were informed in advance. This proposed, inter alia, substantially expanding the electorate for the LegCo functional constituencies to cover the entire working

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