5. MIDDAY ON 21 JUNE, TVB REPORTED IN FULL THE REMARKS MADE BY MR WU ABOUT HIS MEETING WITH THE GOVERNOR. WU TOLD NEWSMEN IN SHENZHEN:
1 **HE DID NOT HAVE ANY SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT DURING THIS VISIT TO HONG
KONG. BUT BECAUSE OF THE VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHINA AND
BRITAIN, GOVERNOR DAVID WILSON HAD INVITED ME ON A FRIENDLY BASIS
TO A MEETING IN HIS VILLA SO I WENT THERE.
WE HAD A VERY GOOD, VERY HAPPY TIME IN HIS VILLA. ABOUT NO MORE THAN
TWO HOURS. ONE HOUR AND A HALF. WE TALKED ABOUT VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING,
CASUALLY RENEWING OUR FRIENDSHIP. DAVID WILSON IS AN OLD FRIEND OF MINE. OF COURSE, WE HAVE TOUCHED ON DIRECT ELECTIONS, WHICH IS A
MATTER OF INTEREST TO EVERYBODY. ON THIS SUBJECT, TOLD MR WILSON
THAT I HAD LEFT CHINA MORE THAN A MONTH AGO. BUT BEFORE THAT, HAD
EXCHANGED VIEWS IN DETAIL WITH SECRETARY OF STATE GEOFFREY HOWE
THREE TIMES - TWICE IN EUROPE AND ONCE IN THAILAND. THOSE ARE MY
VIEWS. THEY ARE KNOWN TO MR WILSON. THAT IS IT.''
6. TODAY'S PAPERS DEVOTED EXTENSIVE COVERAGE TO WU'S REMARKS. ALTHOUGH THE ENGLISH PAPERS CONCENTRATED ONLY ON HIS REFERENCE TO
DIRECT ELECTIONS. GOVERNMENT SOURCES WERE QUOTED AS EMPHASISING THAT
WU'S VISIT HAD BEEN ORGANISED A MONTH AGO, BEFORE THE GREEN PAPER WAS RELEASED. QUOTING INFORMED SOURCES SING PAO SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THE GOVERNOR AND WU HAD TALKED ABOUT DIRECT ELECTIONS, THERE HAD BEEN NO FORMAL DISCUSSIONS OR NEGOTIATIONS SINCE WU'S COUNTERPART
WAS THE BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY.
COMMENTARIES
7. TA KUNG PAO NOTED IN A SHORT COMMENTARY TODAY THAT WU HAD HAD ''A HAPPY TRANSIT THROUGH HONG KONG. THE PAPER SAID THAT WU STILL HELD THE VIEWS ON POLITICAL REFORMS THAT HE HAD PUT FORWARD TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE. EVERYBODY KNEW OF THE CHINESE ATTITUDE TOWARDS POLITICAL REFORMS, IE THAT THEY HAD TO CONVERGE WITH THE BASIC LAW. IT WAS TO ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION THAT THE TWO FOREIGN MINISTERS HAD MET. THE BRITISH SIDE HAD LEARNT OF THE
CHINESE SIDE'S VIEWS ON DIRECT ELECTIONS LONG AGO, THE PAPER SAID
IT BELIEVED THAT THE TWO SIDES WOULD CONTINUE IN A FRIENDLY
SPIRIT TO PROMOTE THEIR COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP IN REGARD TO
QUESTIONS ABOUT HONG KONG SO AS TO IMPLEMENT THE JOINT DECLARATION
EFFECTIVELY.
-2-
RESTRICTED
18.
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