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НКВ 18212
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FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 14140OZ FCO
TELNO 138
OF 14120OZ JANUARY 91
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
39
112706
MDHIAN 8289
TOP COPY
Q DIST?
PADS EXPERT TALKS : CHINESE PUBLIC COMMENTS ON 2ND ROUND
1. THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE VARIOUS COMMENTS MADE TO THE PRESS BY CHINESE OFFICIALS BEFORE AND DURING THE SECOND ROUND OF TALKS. WE HAVE REPORTED SEPARATELY ON THE PRESS CONFERENCE CALLED BY CHEN ZUO'ER ON 13 JANUARY AFTER THE TALKS HAD CONCLUDED.
8 JAN
AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME DOCUMENTS LEAKED IN WAH KIU YAT PO
ARTICLE, SO FAR AS WE KNOW BY THE CHINESE: NOT A PUBLIC COMMENT BUT IN RETROSPECT CAN BE SEEN AS PART OF THE CAMPAIGN COUR TELNO 114 REFERS).
9 JAN
WEN WEI PO COMMENTARY (CHAN KINGPING) SAYING BREAKTHROUGH UNLIKELY BUT THAT THE MATTER COULD BE RESOLVED THROUGH FRANK NEGOTIATIONS.
10 JAN (1ST DAY OF TALKS)
LUO JIAHUAN WAS QUOTED IN PRESS THAT MORNING AS HAVING SAID THAT THE CHINESE HAD ALL ALONG ADOPTED AN OPEN, ACTIVE AND CO- OPERATIVE ATTITUDE IN THE DISCUSSIONS. HE HOPED THE SECOND ROUND WOULD BE FRANK AND USEFUL: BUT ADDED THAT SUCCESS OF THE TALKS WOULD NOT DEPEND ON THE CHINESE SIDE.
CHEN ZUO'ER QUOTED SAYING FINANCIAL SECRETARY NOT THE SAME RANK AS LU PING. REGRETTED SIR PIERS JACOBS HAD NOT COME TO PEKING, SUGGESTED THAT LU PING WOULD HAVE MET HIM HAD HE COME (QUALIFIED BY SAYING THAT LU PING WAS GOING TO MEET THE BRITISH TEAM AFTER THE TALKS: I.E. WOULD HAVE MET THE FS HAD BE BEEN LEADING THE TEAM).
CHINESE OFFICIALS TOLD THE PRESS ON THE EVENING OF 10 JANUARY, BEFORE OUR TEAM HAD REPLIED TO LUO'S OPENING STATEMENT, THAT THE TALKS WERE DEADLOCKED, THAT THE SECOND DAY'S MEETING WOULD BE SHORT AND THAT THE THIRD DAY MIGHT BE CANCELLED.
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