TNAG-2733-FCO40-3939-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-1993 — Page 34

THE PEKING TALKS

INTRODUCTION

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1.

In my first Address to this Council last October, I

set out an

1997.

secure

agenda for Hong Kong for the five years 1992 to

educational, environmental and

It covered

social,

economic priorities. It sought to show how we would work to

Hong Kong's way of life, a market economy operating

law, enjoying all the values of a free

But most attention focused on the last major

within the rule of

society.

unresolved political issue of the transition from British to

Chinese sovereignty. It is a difficult matter. were it not

50, I imagine it would have been satisfactorily overcome

long ago. I refer, of course, to the arrangements for Che

last elections under British sovereignty.

2.

framed

The

to

proposals I put forward last October had been

ensure that they conformed to the provisions of

the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. Arguments to the

contrary have rested more on rhetoric than on reason. There

followed a prolonged and vigorous debate, during which my

proposals were

endorsed by this Council by a comfortable

margin and were more regularly supported in opinion polls by

substantial majorities. We made it clear that my ideas were

proposals which we would like to discuss with our chinese

colleagues. However, it took six months to get discussions

started, and in the event they only began when legislative

debate was about to start in this Council.

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