GRS 1700
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 20100OZ FCO
TELNO 1518
OF 20043OZ APRIL 87
CONFIDENTIAL
AND TO DESKBY 20100OZ BANGKOK
INFO DESKBY 21010OZ PEKING
PARTS ONE AND TWO
OF TWO.
187
See (190
Hub 011/3
21 AFR 1907
PART ONE OF TWO
BANGKOK FOR SECRETARY OF STATE'S PARTY
PRESS REPORTS: DENG XIAOPING ON DIRECT ELECTIONS AND BASIC LAW
SUMMARY
ON 16 APRIL DENG XIAOPING MET ALL MEMBERS OF THE BASIC LAW DRAFTING COMMITTEE (BLDC) IN PEKING FOR AN HOUR. HE SPOKE EXTENSI- VELY ON A RANGE OF SUBJECT CONCERNING HONG KONG. DID NOT OBJECT TO DIRECT ELECTIONS AS SUCH BUT DOUBTED WHETHER THEY WOULD NECESSARILY BE GOOD FOR HONG KONG. PEOPLE GOVERNING HONG KONG OUGHT TO BE PATRIOTIC AND TO LOVE HONG KONG: HE WONDERED WHETHER DIRECT ELECTIONS
WOULD PRODUCE SUCH PEOPLE. AGREED WITH THE GOVERNOR'S INAUGURAL
SPEECH THAT POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS SHOULD BE GRADUAL. INAPPROPRIATE
TO JUDGE DEMOCRACY IN HONG KONG ON BASIS OF WESTERN PARLIAMENTARY
SYSTEMS.
2. DENG SAID ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS'' POLICY COULD REMAIN FOR
100 YEARS? PROVIDED THAT SOCIALIST SYSTEM UNDER CHINESE COMMUNIST
PARTY LEADERSHIP WAS MAINTAINED IN CHINA. HK SAR BASIC LAW EMBODYING
**ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS** POLICY SHOULD BE THE MODEL FOR MACAU
AND TAIWAN. THE BASIC LAW NOT BE WRITTEN IN GREAT DETAIL.
3. THE CPG WOULD NOT INTERFERE IN DAY-TO-DAY AFFAIRS OF SAR, BUT
WOULD INTERVENE IF FUNDAMENTAL INTERESTS OF CHINA AND HONG KONG
WERE AT STAKE. WOULD BENEFIT HK IF CPG RETAINED CERTAIN POWERS.
PEOPLE IN HK WOULD BE ALLOWED TO CRITICISE CHINA OR CCP, BUT USING
HK AS BASE AGAINST MAINLAND IN THE GUISE OF DEMOCRACY WOULD NOT BE
TOLERATED.
DETAIL
4. DENG'S MEETING WITH THE BLDC WAS EXTENSIVELY COVERED BY THE
HONG KONG MEDIA. DENG'S COMMENTS DREW MIXED REACTION AMONG BLDC
MEMBERS AND POLITICAL COMMENTATORS.
MAIN POINTS OF DENG'S TALK
5.
A SUMMARY OF DENG'S TALK, COVERING SIX POINTS, WAS RELEASED BY
NCNA AFTER THE MEETING. A ROUGH TRANSLATION, MINUS THE NUMEROUS
REPETITIONS, IS GIVEN BELOW.
CONFIDENTIAI
16.