TNAG-2989-FCO40-3575-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-talks-betwee-1992 — Page 64

PF Ricketts Esq

HKD

FCO

CONFIDENTIAL

OFFICE OF THE BRITISH SENIOR REPRESENTATIVE,

SINO-BRITISH JOINT LIAISON GROUP HONG KONG

Hirß 017/6

See

30 October 1992

L

fax

189

Doa Peter

124

HONG KONG: MINISTERIAL EXCHANGES ON ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS

174

Thank you for sending me a copy of your letter of 29 October to William Ehrman.

1.

2. At UKRep JLG I was the only person involved in the discussion at Government House on electoral arrangements: Alan Paul was excluded from the small group when the Governor set out to increase the proportion of local Chinese faces on it.

I must have seen these Ministerial exchanges at the time, though I confess that I have no recollection of them. So far as I can recall, the previous Governor consulted me on the question of the number of directly elected seats, and I think I sent some telegrams on that subject at the time myself, but I do not think that he did so on the question of the Electoral Committee. I certainly do not remember being involved in discussion of it, possibly because at the time it was not seen as a controversial issue.

4.

At all events the research on this at this end was done by CAB, and we did not attempt to duplicate this ourselves.

If we had done so, it is possible that we would have found the papers on our files, though, as you say, it is difficult to find things if you do not recall what you are looking for!

5. I must admit that I thought that research on all this was going to be done by Research Department following discussion at the Secretary of State's dinner at Government House in July. But I suppose that what happened is that this research concentrated on the earlier discussions on the question of the through-train, rather than the later exchanges in the context of the finalisation of the Basic Law.

CONFIDENTIAL

/ 6.