TNAG-2711-FCO40-3917-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-and-Par-1993 — Page 109

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DEBATE ON THE MOTION FOR THE CHRISTMAS ADJOURNMENT

CHINA/HONG KONG: TALKS ON HONG KONG ELECTION ARRANGEMENTS IN

1994/95

We fully support the steps taken by the Governor. We have not

broken off the talks with China. But it is now necessary for

practical reasons to put draft legislation on the more urgent issues to the Hong Kong Legislative Council, before it rises for

its Christmas recess.

We attach importance to cooperation with China on the basis of the Joint Declaration, and would prefer to proceed by agreement wherever possible. We have proposed a further round of talks

in December to continue discussion of the remaining electoral

issues.

BACKGROUND

We began discussing Hong Kong election arrangements with China in April this year. But by 27 November, after 17 rounds of talks, we had still not been able to reach agreement, even on an interim package of the more straightforward issues (eg lowering the voting age from 21 to 18; extending single-seat, single-vote method to all Hong Kong elections; ending the practice of the Governor appointing members to the local councils). We had all along made it plain to the Chinese that we genuinely wanted to reach agreement with them, but that we would be up against real time constraints towards the end of the year. The talks made some progress but it was extremely slow and the gap between us remained wide.

After consultation with Ministers and the Hong Kong Executive Council the Governor made a statement to the Hong Kong Legislative Council on 2 December, in which he announced the Hong Kong Government's intention of gazetting the draft legislation on 10 December and introducing it to the Council on 15 December. The Chinese side have said that if we take action without having reached agreement with them first, they will break off the talks, but they have not yet formally done so. They may wait until gazettal on 10 December.

The Foreign Secretary plans to offer an oral statement in the House on 6 December.