TNAG-2990-FCO40-3574-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-talks-betwee-1992 — Page 66

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

Restricted

Mr. Ham

CONFIDENTIAL

Mars 012/6 Scepute of State

100

акр 25/x

به

A lidet, ith?

Kati

From:

CO Hum

PS/MR GOODLAD

[PS/MR

26/10

Date: 24 October 1992

CC

(Mr Goodlad had copy of there propers

Last

night.

PS/PUS

Sir J Coles

Mr Ricketts, HKD

Mr Davies, FED

Mr Marshall, News Dept

I am trying to find out his views, but neither he nor his IS. PRIVATE SECRETARY are immediately available)

Cr 26 cc

HONG KONG: ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS

Problem

1.

26/0

Should the Governor of Hong Kong be authorised, as he recommends, to make public the text of certain exchanges between the British and Chinese sides in early 1990 relating to electoral arrangements in Hong Kong?

Recommendation

2. I recommend that he be authorised to release three texts accompanied by a covering note of explanation. This would be subject to a prior contact with the Chinese, who have already effectively challenged us to make this exchange public. I submit draft telegrams of instruction to Peking and Hong Kong (prepared in conjunction with Mr Ricketts). Their despatch is still conditional on the resolution of two points of tactics with the Governor (paragraph 9 below).

Background

3.

In the course of the Governor's discussions with Lu Ping in Peking on 21 October the latter put forward detailed objections to most aspects of the Governor's proposals for the election of LegCo in 1995. On the Election Committee destined to elect 10 seats to LegCo, Lu Ping referred to an exchange of messages between the two sides, including one from the Secretary of State to the Chinese Foreign Minister, in January and February 1990. He claimed that this amounted to a "clear and explicit understanding" between China and Britain on the composition of the Election Committee (essentially that this should be in line with the arrangements in the Basic Law for the Election Committee

CONFIDENTIAL

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