§ Sir Thomas ArnoldTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he first informed the Chinese Government of his wish to see an increase in the number of seats in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong beyond that envisaged in the Basic Law.
§ Mr. GoodladThe point was made repeatedly to the Chinese Government during the drafting of the Basic Law as the exchanges with the Chinese during 1990—recently made public—show. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State told the House on 16 February 1990 that we would continue to press the case for a faster pace of democracy.
§ Sir Thomas ArnoldTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was first informed by the Chinese Government of their view that the Basic Law cannot be changed; and what was his response.
§ Mr. GoodladThe Chinese Government made a public statement at the end of May this year that, in their view, the Basic Law, including provisions for the first special administrative region legislature, cannot be changed before 1997. Our position on the pace of democracy for Hong Kong was made clear once again to the Chinese side during my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister in New York on 25 September this year. While we would still wish to see more directly elected seats in the Legislative Council, the Governor of Hong Kong has made alternative proposals which are entirely within the terms of the joint declaration and Basic Law.