TNAG-2712-FCO40-3918-Parliamentary-relations-draft-White-Paper-on-Representative--1993 — Page 182

made in narrowing the gap. Much of the discussion centred on

the nine new functional constituencies.

Although the British

side offered some modification of their proposal, the Chinese

side continued to hold out for highly restrictive constituencies based on corporate voting. The British side

pressed unsuccessfully for a discussion of through train

criteria.

45.

This was the background to the Foreign Secretary's meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister in the margins of the

UN General Assembly in New York on 1 October. The Foreign

Secretary expressed disappointment at the lack of progress despite the major moves by the British side in an effort to

bridge the gap. He emphasised that the British side were working for success in the talks, but that before ways could be considered in which the talks could make further progress,

it

was essential that a discussion of through train criteria

should get underway. There was no clear response from the Chinese side on this point. The Foreign Secretary briefed the

Chinese Foreign Minister on the main points relating to the

talks on the Governor's Annual Address to the Legislative Council which was delivered on 6 October, including the point

that for practical reasons there were only weeks rather than

months left in which to reach an agreement.

PART III: ANALYSIS OF PROPOSALS PUT FORWARD DURING THE TALKS

46. This part considers the various electoral proposals put forward by the British and Chinese sides against the essential

requirements of Her Majesty's Government and the Hong Kong Government: that the 1994-95 elections should be open, fair

and acceptable to the people of Hong Kong.

VOTING AGE

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