Britain proposed to boost Hong Kong’s autonomy after return to Chinese rule in 1997 through de facto constitutional court, files show
- London urged Beijing in 1989 to turn the Basic Law Committee into a de facto constitutional court, newly declassified British government files show
- British government also suggested allowing Hong Kong to handle any state of emergency arising from turmoil in the city with local laws
British government proposals to boost Hong Kong’s autonomy after the city’s return to Chinese rule by in effect turning an advisory panel into a constitutional court met with strong reservations from Beijing, according to newly declassified files.
The British government also suggested allowing Hong Kong to handle any state of emergency arising from turmoil in the city with local laws, rather than applying national ones.
Those two proposals to boost the city’s autonomy after 1997 were among a number of suggested amendments to the second draft of the Basic Law.
The files also showed London proposed in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown that a new article be added to the Basic Law stating that no interpretation or amendment to the city’s mini-constitution should be inconsistent with the provisions of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, an agreement signed in 1984 to settle the future of Hong Kong.
