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either set up its own sub-committees, or else the secretariat will be tasked with producing papers on particular problems. is curious that Lu Ping asked Sir robin McLaren for our assistance in helping the Committee operate. This may mean that they envisage it meeting in Hong Kong, or else they will wish us to ensure that there are not the same demonstrations when its members leave Hong Kong for their meetings as happened with the HK Affairs Advisers. If it does meet infrequently this will give the Chinese an excuse for taking even longer to consider proposals in the JLG if they wish to. On the positive side the PWC may advise the Chinese to act more reasonably than they otherwise might, as the Advisers appear to have done.
5. The Chinese have described the duties of the Preparatory Working Committee as including the scrutiny of Hong Kong Laws to ensure that they are compatible with the Basic Law, preparing for the first Administration and Legislature of the SAR, study arrangements for the stationing of mainland troops in the SAR and for the establishment of the Court of Final Appeal. It should put forward suggestions on events which might affect the Economic interests of Hong Kong (presumably a reference to Contracts and Franchises). If this is the role of the Committee it is hard to see how this is consistent with repeated public statements by the Chinese that the Committee will not affect the administration of Hong Kong or the work of the JLG.
RA 3 Burt
RAJ Bunten
In short, this is an uninspiring collection of the usual pro-China suspects. The only big name from Hong Kong who was not already a Hong Kong Affairs Adviser is Rita Fan. Notable that no-one from Allen Lee's group is given a place. The announcement has been greeted calmly in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Affairs advisers have actually worked quite well from our point of view: Hong Kong people pressure them to feed back concerns in Hong Kong to Peking. The new body could turn out to
be similar. But it gives Lu Ping (who gets the key post) platform to interfere in day-to-day issues when he wants to. This can obviously be turned up or down depending on the outcome of the constitutional talks.
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