TNAG-2709-FCO40-3915-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-and-Par-1993 — Page 86

to regard the Joint Declaration as a good agreement. It remains the cornerstone of our policy.

Basic Law

4. The Basic Law, to come into force on 1 July 1997, will be

a constitutional charter for Hong Kong. It provides under the Chinese constitution for the establishment of the Hong Kong

Special Administrative Region in accordance with the

provisions of the Joint Declaration. It was promulgated in April 1990 by the Chinese National People's Congress after

nearly 5 years' work by the Basic Law Drafting Committee composed of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese members.

Joint Liaison Group

5. The main forum for implementation of the Joint Declaration is the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group (JLG). The JLG meets at least three times a year in plenary session (in London, Hong Kong and Peking). There are also frequent informal contacts between the British and Chinese permanent JLG offices in Hong Kong. The main function of the JLG is to agree on the

necessary legal and practical steps required to implement the Joint Declaration and to ensure a smooth transfer of

sovereignty in 1997. Much of its work is technical in nature,

concerning, for example, the continuation of Hong Kong's international rights and obligations beyond 1997.

Court of Final Appeal

6. One recent agreement of the JLG is for a Court of Final Appeal to be established in Hong Kong to replace the right of

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