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ME NT
POPULAR SENTIMENTS. OF THE HONG KONG PEOPLE?
ITS OF THE HONG KONG PEOR
AL WITH THE EXPIRING LEASE AGREEMENT ? SECOND WHAT ARE THE
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ALTHOUGH THE FATE OF
HONG KONG IS PRIMARILY DECIDED EY CHINA AND BRITAIN, THE HONG KONG
PEOPLE THEMSELVES COULD DISRUPT THE EQUILIBRIUM.
SIMILAR GOALS BUT DIFFERENT STANDPOINTS ((SUBHEAD))
THE GOAL OF THE CHINESE AND BRITISH SIDES ON THE QUESTION OF THE
YEAR 1997 IS THE SAME : THEY BOTH HOPE TO MAINTAIN THE PROSPERITY
AND STABILITY OF HONG KONG.
DIFFERENT STAND POINTS.
HOWEVER THEY HAVE TAKEN ENTIRELY
ERITISH RULE IN HONG KONG FOR MORE THAN
100 YEARS HAS BEEN BASED ON UNEQUAL TREATIES. THE CCP HAS NEVER
RECOGNIZED THESE UNE QUAL TREATIES.
SOME PEOPLE TAKE THIS HISTORICAL DIFFERENCE AS A CRITERION IN
ANALYZING THE DIFFERENT ATTITUDE OF CHINA AND BRITAIN ON THE LEASE
AGREEMENT. CHINA NEVER EVEN MENTIONED THE LEASE AGREEMENT.
IT JUST
TOLD THE INVESTORS NOT TO WORRY. BUT PEOPLE IN THE LEGAL CIRCLES IN
HONG KONG AND BRITAIN HAS BEEN EAGER TO GIVE SUGGESTIONS AND OPINIONS
ON THIS QUESTION. IN REALITY, CHINA MIGHT PE CONTEMPLATING MORE
ON THIS QUESTION THAN ITS APPARENT INDIFFERENCE SHOWS.
HE INDICATED
AFTER THIS
IN MAY LAST YEAR, SONG ZHICUANG, THE CHINESE ASSISTANT FOREIGN
MINISTER, GAVE A TALK ON THE HONG KONG PROBLEM WHICH COULD BE
CONSIDERED THE MOST DETAILED ON THE SUBJECT SO FAR.
THAT CHIPA WILL NOT TAKE BACK HONG KONG BEFORE 1997.
DATE, THE CUESTION OF HOW TO DEAL WITH HONG KONG WILL BE DECIDEL
THROUGH CONSULTATIONS. EVEN IF CHINA DECIDES TO TAKE BACK HONG
KONG, CHINA WILL TRY TO PROTECT THE INTERESTS OF INVESTORS IN
HONG KONG AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. IN THIS TALK, SONG ZHIGUANG EVADED
THE QUESTION OF WHETHER CHINA WILL TAKE BACK HONG KONG AFTER 1997.
WHAT COULD BE THE REASON FOR THIS?
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THE FIRST POSSIBLE REASON IS THAT THERE IS NO REASON FOR CHINA
TO PLACE ITSELF IN A VULNERABLE POSITION PREMATURELY ON THE
ONE HAND, IT IS HARD FOR THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT ITSELF TO PREDICT
THE DOMESTIC POLITICAL SITUATION IN CHINA MORE THAN 10 YEARS FROM