即使是为1997年移交奠定基础的英中两国政府于1984年签署的联合声明也仅仅提供了某种不严谨的承诺，即特首将由中国方面“以当地进行的选举或协商结果为基础”进行任命。
Even the joint declaration signed by the British and Chinese governments in 1984, which set the stage for the 1997 handover, offered the somewhat imprecise promise that the chief executive would be appointed by China “on the basis of the results of elections or consultations to be held locally.”