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123414
MDHIAN 0840
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG
RESTRICTED
HKCO 10/1
IN
TO DESKBY 23123OZ FCO
TELNO 3474
OF 231123Z NOVEMBER 90
RECEP
AND TO DESKBY 24003OZ PEKING
26 NOV 1990
INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG
fa
PM 23/11
TOP COF G DIST?
STATE COUNCIL HKMAO: PERSONNEL CHANGES
1. ASSOCIATED PRESS HAVE REPORTED TODAY THAT A HKMAO SPOKESMAN STATED THAT JI PENGFEI AND LI HOU HAD RESIGNED BECAUSE OF OLD AGE AND LU PING HAD BEEN APPOINTED DIRECTOR IN PLACE OF JI. THIS STORY WAS WIDELY CARRIED, PRIOR TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT, IN TODAY'S HONG KONG PRESS, INCLUDING WEN WEI PAO AND TA KUNG PAO.
2. SUBJECT TO PEKING'S CONFIRMATION THAT THE CHANGES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED FORMALLY, I SHOULD BE MOST GRATEFUL IF SIR ALAN DONALD COULD PASS THE FOLLOWING MESSAGES FROM ME TO THE THREE MEN:
A) TO JI PENGFEI: I HAVE SEEN TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT YOU ARE RELINQUISHING THE POST OF DIRECTOR OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAO AFFAIRS OFFICE OF THE STATE COUNCIL. DURING YOUR TIME IN THIS IMPORTANT POSITION MUCH HAS BEEN ACHIEVED. WITH CO-OPERATION AND GREAT EFFORT ON BOTH SIDES, I BELIEVE WE ARE BUILDING SOLID FOUNDATIONS FOR THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER 1997 IN CONDITIONS OF STABILITY AND INCREASING PROSPERITY. I HAVE GREATLY APPRECIATED THE OPPORTUNITIES I HAVE HAD OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, IN BOTH PEKING AND HONG KONG TO DISCUSS WITH YOU WAYS OF INCREASING CO-OPERATION OVER THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. I SEND BOTH YOU AND YOUR WIFE MY VERY BEST WISHES.
TO LI HOU: I HAVE SEEN TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT YOU ARE RETIRING FROM THE POST OF DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAO AFFAIRS OFFICE OF THE STATE COUNCIL. WE HAVE WORKED CLOSELY TOGETHER OVER A LONG PERIOD TO CONSTRUCT THE CONDITIONS FOR HONG KONG'S FUTURE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY. I HAVE WELCOMED THE MANY OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE HAD OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO THE VARIOUS ISSUES WHICH HAVE FACED US AND TO BUILD UP A CO-OPERATIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIP. I SEND YOU MY VERY BEST WISHES FOR THE FUTURE.
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