TNAG-2722-FCO40-3928-Hong-Kong-elections-Election-Committee-1993 — Page 45

2.E. BEIJING CRYPTEK

SECRET

PG.18

membership of a non-Hong Kong and non-British parliament or

consultative body.

11. Our position should cause no difficulties to the Chinese

side. It is not as if we were saying that Hong Kong members

of the British Parliament or some British consultative body

should automatically become members of the 1995 Election

Committee which will elect 10 members of the 1995-99 LegCo.

The arrangements which we have proposed prejudice neither

side's legal or political position on Hong Kong's status up to 30 June 1997 or on our shared view of its status as a Special

Administrative region of the PRC from 1 July 1997. These

arrangements are entirely appropriate to the unique status

of the 1995-99 Through Train Legco. It is the

Chinese side who are making a proposal for change, a change which can at best be described as premature: to put it simply,

you are trying to jump the gun. And you are trying to push

us too far. I have to tell you that we shall not be pushed.

5 August 1993

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