[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 26, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: January 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
           A NEW HONG KONG PROPOSAL BRINGS A WARNING BY CHINA

 Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, one of the heroes of freedom, as far 
as I am concerned, is Gov. Chris Patten, the British Governor of Hong 
Kong.
  He has been willing to stand up to the Government of China in behalf 
of the people of Hong Kong.
  Let it be said, in fairness, that the British were slow to give the 
people of Hong Kong their full voice in self-governing for too long a 
time, but Gov. Chris Patten has stood clearly and solidly for greater 
freedom and self-determination for the people of Hong Kong.
  I applaud his stand, and I hope our Government is doing everything it 
can to encourage Governor Patten and stand by him.
  I ask to insert into the Congressional Record the New York Times 
article of Friday, December 3, 1993.
  The article follows:

                   [The New York Times Dec. 3, 1993]

           A New Hong Kong Proposal Brings a Warning by China

                         (By Patrick E. Tyler)

       Shanghai, December 2.--China and Britain both threatened 
     today to step up their struggle over the future of democracy 
     in Hong Kong when Gov. Chris Patten said he would begin 
     submitting constitutional changes to the colony's legislature 
     this month without China's approval.
       In Beijing, the Chinese Government promptly announced that 
     Mr. Patten's action would lead to a ``breakdown'' of the 
     talks the two Governments have been holding since Mr. Patten 
     proposed to broaden the democratic franchise of Hong Kong's 
     5.5 million residents before 1997, when the colony is to 
     revert to Chinese sovereignty.
       The dispute, unresolved after 17 rounds of negotiations 
     between Chinese and British diplomats, now seems in its final 
     throes. Mr. Patten said he would introduce legislation on 
     Dec. 15, effectively giving the parties two more weeks to 
     pull back from the brink.
       Through his democracy proposals, Mr. Patten and his aides 
     have been trying to create a tamper-proof legislature to 
     leave behind when the British rule is withdrawn in less than 
     four years. But Beijing deeply suspects British motives and 
     dislikes Mr. Patten, who introduced the measures without 
     consultation in October 1992.
       Mr. Patten, addressing the 60-member Legislative Council 
     today, said that British negotiators had already made a 
     number of concessions over the summer and into the fall in 
     hopes of drawing up an acceptable package of changes to guide 
     Hong Kong elections scheduled for 1994 and 1995.
       China, he said, has so far agreed only to lower the voting 
     age in Hong Kong from 21 to 18. Mr. Patten said he had 
     ``reluctantly concluded that we now have no choice but to 
     begin the process of legislating.''
       Beijing has threatened to withhold recognition of 
     legislators elected in 1995 when the 1997 turnover arrives, a 
     threat that Hong Kong's democracy forces say is a violation 
     of the ``one country two systems'' formula agreed to in 1984 
     when the deal to return the colony was struck.
       To begin the legislative process, Mr. Patten said he had 
     selected the least sensitive elements of the changes. His 
     strategy was clearly intended to induce China to speed up the 
     negotiating process.
       But in Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Wu 
     Jianmin, reacted to the news of Mr. Patten's initiative by 
     saying, ``If that is the case, that would mean the breakdown 
     of talks.''
       ``If the talks do break down, the responsibility would 
     entirely be on the part of the British side,'' Mr. Wu said, 
     adding that any attempt by Britain to push forward with 
     changes without China's consent would meet strong opposition 
     from Beijing.

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