ENG-1984 — Page 31

THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG

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documents which would set out arrangements for Hong Kong's future with clarity and precision, in legally binding form.

Sir Geoffrey also announced on the same occasion that the two sides had agreed to establish a Sino-British Joint Liaison Group which would come into being when the agreement came into force and continue until the year 2000. It would meet in Peking, London and Hong Kong. It was agreed that the Group would not be an organ of power. Its functions would be: liaison, consultation on the implementation of the agreement, and exchange of information. It was agreed that it would play no part in the administration of Hong Kong. The British Government would continue to be responsible for the administra- tion of Hong Kong up to 30 June 1997.

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Following Sir Geoffrey Howe's visit the negotiations continued on the remaining unresolved issues and three further rounds of plenary talks took place. A further ad hoc working group was established in Peking on 24 August. By 18 September negotiators on both sides had approved the English and Chinese texts of the documents that make agreement and the associated Exchange of Memoranda. These were submitted to British Ministers and Chinese leaders for final approval. The texts were initialled by the two delegation leaders on 26 September and later that day were published simultaneously in Hong Kong, London and Peking.

Consultation with the People of Hong Kong: (I) In the course of the negotiations

From the beginning of the negotiations the British Government were conscious that the negotiations concerned the interests and future of the five and a half million people of Hong Kong. It was the consistent position of the British Government that any agreement with the Chinese Government on the future of the territory had to be acceptable to the people of Hong Kong as well as to the British Parliament and the Chinese Government.

The negotiations were conducted on a basis of confidentiality. This was crucial to their success, but the maintenance of confidentiality also caused much concern and anxiety among the people of Hong Kong who were understandably anxious to know what was being negotiated for their future. All members of the Executive Council, as the Governor's closest advisers, were kept fully informed on the negotiations and consulted on a continuing basis throughout the period. The Unofficial Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils (UMELCO) provided invaluable advice to the Governor and to Ministers on the course of the negotiations and on the attitude of the people of Hong Kong. At a number of crucial points in the negotiations the Governor and Unofficial Members of the Executive Council visited London for consultations with the Prime Minister and other Ministers. British Ministers also paid a series of visits to Hong Kong, to consult the Governor, the Executive Council and the Unofficial Members of the Executive and Legisla- tive Councils and to keep in touch with opinion in the territory. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs was able to describe the approach of the British Government to the negotiations in his statement in Hong Kong on 20 April 1984, and to fill in more details of what might eventually be included in an agreement in a further statement in the territory on 1 August 1984. In the course of the negotiations, and in particular following the statement of 20 April, numerous individuals and groups in Hong Kong made specific proposals on what should be included in an eventual agreement. The Legislative Council of Hong Kong debated aspects of the future of the territory on a number of occasions. The British Government paid close attention to these expressions of opinion which the Hong Kong Government relayed to Ministers, and to views about the future