GPS 245
RESTRICTED
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG 0304352 DEC 83
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1868 OF 3 DECEMBER 1983
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INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING AND ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE
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LONDON, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT REPS WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, BRUSSELS AND content
GENEVA
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: REMARKS BY XU
CONSTITUTION
JIA TUN ON THE MINI
1. THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF REFERENCES IN RECENT PRESS TELEGRAMS TO CHINESE PLANS FOR A QUOTE MINI CONSTITUTION UNQUOTE FOR HONG KONG, NOTICEABLY THE REPORTS OR REMARKS BY JI PENGFE I (HEAD OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAU OFFICE IN PEKING) TO A GROUP OF HONG KONG BUSINESSMEN (MY TELNO 1800) AND TO THE CHINESE
REFORM CLUB OF HONG KONG (MY TELNO 1862).
2. ON 3 DECEMBER, XU JIATUN (DIRECTOR OF NCNA IN HONG KONG) SPOKE IN SOME DETAIL ABOUT THE MINI CONSTITUTION TO JOURNALISTS
AFTER INAUGURATING AN EXHIBITION OF SHANGHAI ARTS AND CRAFTS.
HIS REMARKS WERE THE FRONT PAGE LEAD IN BOTH MAJOR COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS, TA KUNG PAO AND WEN WEI PO ON 3 DECEMBER. THE PRINCIPAL POINTS MADE BY XU WERE:
(A) THE QUOTE RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS UNQUOTE OF THE STATE COUNCIL
HAD ALREADY BEGUN WORK ON THE DRAFT OF A MINI-CONSTITUTION.
(B) PREPARATORY WORK HAD BEGUN BEFORE THE START OF THE SINO-
BRITISH TALKS.
(C) THE DRAFT WOULD (OR COULD IT IS NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR WHICH)
BE PUBLISHED NEXT YEAR.
(D) THE COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE WOULD BE SOUGHT. BUT THE DRAFT WOULD REFLECT THE MANY SUGGESTIONS FROM HONG KONG PEOPLE WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN RECEIVED.
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