§ Sir Patrick Wallasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs where the official lease to the colony of Hong Kong is now lodged.
§ Mr. RentonThe convention between the United Kingdom and China regarding an extension of the Hong Kong territory, signed at Peking on 9 June 1898, contains the terms on which the New Territories were leased to the United Kingdom. A copy is in the Public Record Office.
§ Sir Patrick Wallasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made in the detailed negotiations with the People's 601W Republic of China over Hong Kong particularly over (a) religious freedom, (b) the safeguarding of religious trusts and (c) free passage abroad.
§ Mr. RentonThe agenda and proceedings of the Sino-British Joint Liason Group meetings are confidential. But section XIII of annex I to the Joint Declaration of the Governments of the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China states that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government shall maintain the rights and freedoms as provided for by the laws previously in force in Hong Kong, including among others, freedom of the person, of travel and of belief. It also provides for schools, hospitals and welfare institutions run by religious organisations to be continued.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Chinese Government have made any recent objections to the development of democracy in Hong Kong at official meetings; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonThe contents of our official exchanges with other governments are confidential. As I told the hon. Member in my reply to his question on 10 February, there will be a review of the further development of representative government in Hong Kong in 1987. Decisions on any further developments must await the outcome of that review.