TNAG-2735-FCO40-3943-Hong-Kong-role-of-the-Legislative-Council-(LEGCO)-1993 — Page 61

SECRET

4

ANNEX TO LETTER

DRAFTING SUGGESTIONS ON THE GOVERNOR'S LEGCO ADDRESS

We had the following points of language and presentation on the draft:

-

· Para 3: "not least a lesson in sincerity". We find this unclear: surely the real lesson is that we have to threaten unilateral action in order to get any results! We suggest omitting the phrase.

Para 11: "it may not be an easy year for China": this could be taken as a reference to the grim reaper etc. Clearer to say "for the Chinese economy".

Para 22: "unless we can secure that cooperation": the point would be more precisely targeted if a phrase was added on the lines "over financing the new airport project and Container Terminal 9". (We have had cooperation in some other projects).

Para 160: The MC elections are as we understand it in 1995.

- Para 163: "genuine talks" sounds odd. What about "a serious negotiation?"

- Para 166: We wondered whether the phrase "just over a third" ran the risk of providing too accurate a benchmark for measuring further erosion. What about "based on organisations as the Chinese side proposed, and with a detailed eligible electorate of about a third

Para 176: We believe that the direct accusation that the Chinese want a sham election could be counter productive in LegCo. Could the sentence be reworded "the argument turns on whether or not the agreed steps towards democracy will give the people of Hong Kong a real opportunity to choose".

Para 178: We suggest omitting the reference to a bad agreement being worse than no agreement. We do not dispute the truth of this! But we think that it could have the wrong effect on the LegCo audience.

Paras 183-185: We wondered whether the threefold repetition of the thought that the Governor and his administration cannot stand out for more than Hong Kong people are prepared to accept will be interpreted by the international press as preparing for a climb down.

Para 187: We suggest "we do not have full democracy here in Hong Kong".

ann.let.PET

SLM

SECRET