UNCLASSIFIED
07237
MDLIAN 9304
NOT THINK BY ASKING THE US TO FORMULATE A POLICY ON HONG KONG WOULD INFRINGE ON THE SOVEREIGNTY OF CHINA OVER HONG KONG BECAUSE THE US GOVERNMENT'S POSITION ON HONG KONG WAS THAT IT WOULD SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. HE WAS ALSO OPPOSED TO PROPOSALS IN THE US TO WITHDRAW CHINA'S MOST FAVOURED NATION
STATUS.
5. FORMER BLCC SECRETARY-GENERAL LEUNG CHUN-YING SAID THAT IT WAS UNDESIRABLE TO INTRODUCE A ''SEMI-MINISTERIAL'' SYSTEM TO HONG KONG, THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL (6.5) REPORTED. LEUNG SAID THAT SINCE HONG KONG WAS NOT AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY BUT AN SAR UNDER CHINA, THE POWER TO MAKE DECISIONS OVER GOVERNMENT POLICIES WOULD LIE WITH THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND PRINCIPAL OFFICIAL OF THE
SARG.
NATIONALITY
6. THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL (8.5) QUOTED A SENIOR CHINESE OFFICIAL IN HONG KONG AS SAYING THAT CHINA WOULD WORK OUT BOTH SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM CORRESPONDING MEASURES TO COUNTER THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE AND THAT THE PRINCIPLE OF THESE MEASURES WAS THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE TO BE GRANTED FULL BRITISH PASSPORTS WOULD NOT BE RECOGNISED AS ''PERMANENT RESIDENTS'' OF THE TERRITORY AND THEY WOULD ENJOY FEWER POLITICAL RIGHTS. WHEN ASKED WHETHER SUCH A PRINCIPLE WOULD INFRINGE ON THE PROVISIONS IN ANNEX I OF THE JOINT DECLARATION THE CHINESE OFFICIAL SAID THAT TECHNICAL PROBLEMS ARISING FROM THE MEASURES HAD YET TO BE STUDIED IN DETAIL WHEN THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE WAS FINALLY PASSED.
BILL OF RIGHTS
7. WEN WEI PO (6.5) SAID THAT THE HEUNG YEE KUK BELIEVED THAT THE PROPOSED BILL OF RIGHTS HAD CAUSED WORRIES AMONG RESIDENTS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND WOULD UPSET THE NEW TERRITORIES COMMUNITY. THE KUK CRITICISED THE GOVERNMENT FOR NOT CONSULTING IT BEFORE ANNOUNCING THE BILL.
JLG
8. A BRITISH SOURCE SAID THAT CHINA HAD DEMANDED TO HAVE A SAY IN HONG KONG AFFAIRS AND TO TAKE PART IN THE FORMULATION OF IMPORTANT POLICIES FOR THE TERRITORY NOW IN ORDER TO FACILITATE A SMOOTH TRANSFER OF SOVEREIGNTY IN 1997, ATV AND SEVERAL PAPERS (8.5) REPORTED. HOWEVER, THE BRITISH SIDE HAD MADE IT CLEAR THAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION CHINA COULD NOT HAVE MAJOR DECISION-MAKING POWER BEFORE 1997. THE SOURCE SAID THAT THE DEMAND WAS MADE DURING THE LAST ROUND OF JLG TALKS IN PEKING. HE SAID THAT
2
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