TNAG-2990-FCO40-3574-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-talks-betwee-1992 — Page 146

Response to Chinese threat to introduce their own Legislative

Council in 1997

We wish to see as much continuity as possible in 1997.

That is why the Governor's proposals on elections are within

the terms of the Basic Law. But we have responsibility for

Hong Kong until July 1997 and need to take into account as

well the wishes of Hong Kong people for a broadening of

democracy.

All this for further discussion with China. China shares

our interest in a smooth transition and a successful Hong

Kong. Hope this can be done in a calm and rational way.

Lu Ping's claim that the Secretary of State's message in 1990

agreed the composition of the Election Committee

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There were a series of exchanges with the Chinese at Ministerial and official level in China in January/February

1990. These were in the context of an effort to reach a

mutually satisfactory set of electoral proposals.

[If asked about specific quotations] Quotations should not

be taken out of that broad context.

-

[If pressed hard] In the event, it was not possible to reach

agreement on all aspects of the electoral package. As the

Foreign Secretary made clear at the time (House of Commons, 16

February 1990 attached), we favoured a faster pace of

democratisation.

The Basic Law itself is silent on the composition of the

Election Committee for the first Legislative Council of the

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