TNAG-2712-FCO40-3918-Parliamentary-relations-draft-White-Paper-on-Representative--1993 — Page 179

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

the Basic Law, Annex I (which specifies the Election Committee that will be responsible for electing Chief Executives after 1997) but that the size of the Committee should be different (600) from that prescribed in Annex I of the Basic Law (800).

d) Third Phase: July-August 1993 (Rounds 8-9)

40.

The position in late June was, therefore, that after Seven Rounds of talks, the Chinese side had finally put forward an opening position on the main electoral issues, although they had consistently refused to discuss criteria for the through train or the three other issues raised by the British side. Since the effect of the Chinese position would have been to ensure the minimum development of Hong Kong's political system based on restrictive electoral arrangements, there was a wide gap between the two sides.

41. The Foreign Secretary took the opportunity of his

presence in the region for the Tokyo Summit to visit Peking for talks with the Chinese Foreign Minister on 8-9 July

1993. His aim was not to negotiate, but to focus the talks on the essential issues, and to stress the need for early progress. The Foreign Secretary set out the principles which would need to apply if revised electoral proposals

were to meet our requirements:

On the Election Committee, that its members should be elected fairly and openly in Hong Kong, not selected; and that the arrangements for elections which took place within the Election Committee should themselves be open and fair. agreement could be reached on these principles, the British side would be willing to consider

whether an Election Committee could be devised on

If

statememt26.8/BRIEFS/NJH

20

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