6. TODAY'S EDITORIAL IN WEN WEI PO CLAIMED THAT BRITAIN WAS ''PUTTING THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE BY INSISTING THAT CHINA MEET ITS DEMANDS BEFORE RETURNING SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG TO CHINA. INSTEAD, BRITAIN SHOULD FIRST PROMISE TO RETURN SOVEREIGNTY TO CHINA AND ONLY THEN THRASH OUT THE CONCRETE ISSUES. BASED ON ITS INTERPRETATION OF THE BRITISH PRESS, THE EDITORIAL SAID THAT BRITAIN WAS DESCRIBING NATIONALISM AS OUTDATED' IN ORDER TO JUSTIFY HONG KONG'S BECOMING INDEPENDENT. OTHERS USED THE SAME CRITIQUE OF NATIONALISM TO ARGUE FOR A CONTINUED BRITISH LINK WHICH WAS NO MORE THAN AN EXCUSE FOR JOINT ADMINISTRATION. THE EDITORIAL ADDED THAT IT WAS SIMPLY A DELAYING TACTIC TO ASSERT THAT THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT WOULD HAVE TO RATIFY ANY SETTLEMEN ON HONG KONG'S FUTURE. SIMILARLY, THE ASSERTION OF RESPECTING HONG KONG PEOPLE'S WISHES WAS SIMPLY A PRETEXT FOR PRESERVING BRITAIN'S COLONIAL PRIVILEGES IN HONG KONG.
7. EDITORIALS IN THE INDEPENDENT PRESS CONTINUED TO VIEW THE PROGRESS OF THE TALKS WITH CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM. THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL CALLED ON CHINA TO INCREASE ITS INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG. SUCH A CONTRIBUTION TO THE TERRITORY'S PROSPERITY WOULD SPEAK BETTER THAN MERE WORDS. MING PAO EVENING NEWS SAID THAT EVERYONE IN HONG KONG SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO SPEAK UP ON THE ISSUE OF THE TERRITORY'S FUTURE. THIS INCLUDED CIVIL SERVANTS. THE RIGHT-WING EXPRESS URGED THE PUBLIC TO STAND FIRM IN ITS DESIRE FOR A PRESERVATION OF THE STATUS QUO AND CALLED FOR RE-CONSIDERATION OF A
'LEASE BACK ARRANGEMENT. MING PAO SAID THAT THE TWO SIDES HAD NOW IDENTIFIED AS COMMON GROUND IN THE TALKS 'HOW NOT TO CHANGE THE EXISTING LIFESTYLE IN HONG KONG''. THIS WAS PRECISELY WHAT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WANTED. THEY WANTED NEITHER AN EXTENSION OF BRITISH COLONIAL RULE NOR THE INTRODUCTION OF CHINESE SOCIALISM.
8. PRACTICALLY ALL PAPERS ON SUNDAY GAVE ACCOUNTS OF THE PREVIOUS DAY'S MEETING BETWEEN THE HONG KONG OBSERVERS DELEGATION AND JI PENGFE, HEAD OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE. JI WAS REPORTED AS HAVING SAID THAT THE VIEWS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE WOULD BE SOUGHT ON THE FIRST DRAFT OF A MINI-CONSTITUTION DRAWN UP BY A SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF THE STATE COUNCIL. FOLLOWING AMENDMENTS AND FURTHER COMMENT IT WOULD BE SUBMITTED TO THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS FOR FINAL APPROVAL. JI DESCRIBED THE DRAFTING AS A DEMOCRATIC PROCESS THAT WOULD TAKE ONE OR TWO YEARS TO COMPLETE.
9. BOTH THE COMMUNIST AND INDEPENDENT PRESS TODAY GAVE DETAILED ACCOUNTS OF THE POSITION PAPER SUBMITTED BY THE HONG KONG OBSERVERS TO THE HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE. ACCORDING TO THE REPORTS, THE PAPER PROPOSED SIX POINTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD''!
A: WIDER DEMOCRATISATION INCLUDING THE ELECTION OF LEGCO MEMBERS. B: LOCALISATION OF GOVERNMENT POSTS..
C: ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES FROM HONG KONG TO DRAFT A LOCAL
CONSTITUTION WITH THE HELP, OF THE CHINESE AND BRITISH
GOVERNMENTS.
RESTRICTED