UNCLASSIFIED
044314
MDLIAN C
ACCUMULATED INTEREST OF THE RESERVES, TO DISPEL CHINA'S MISTRUST
AND SUSPICION
4. CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN QICHEN WAS QUOTED (28.3) AS SAYING THAT CHINA HOPED THAT MR HURD'S VISIT WOULD HELP PROMOTE SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS AND RESOLVE THE DIFFERENCES OVER THE AIRPORT ISSUE. CHINESE SOURCES WERE QUOTED BY TVB (3.4) AS SAYING THAT CHINA WOULD NOT MAKE ANY CONCESSIONS OVER THE AIRPORT DURING TALKS WITH MR HURD BUT THAT IT WAS HOPED THAT MR HURD WOULD BRING WITH HIM A PROPOSAL THAT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO BOTH SIDES AND IN KEEPING WITH BOTH SIDES' LONG-TERM INTERESTS. A FORMER VICE- DIRECTOR OF THE HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, LI HOU, SAID (TIN TIN DAILY NEWS 3.4 REPORT) THAT HE BELIEVED THAT WITH IMPROVED SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS, THE AIRPORT QUESTION WOULD BE RESOLVED.
5. MR HURD WAS QUOTED IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE BBC WORLD SERVICE BY THE EXPRESS (29.3) AS SAYING THAT HK NEEDED A NEW AIRPORT TO STRENGTHEN ITS COMPETITIVENESS WITH ITS NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES. R-3 (2.4) QUOTED MR HURD AS WARNING AGAINST EXPECTING AN IMMEDIATE AGREEMENT ON THE AIRPORT AS A RESULT OF HIS VISIT. SING TAO JOH PAO (3.4) QUOTED MR HURD AS SAYING ON UK TV AND RADIO THAT HE HOPED THAT DURING HIS TRIP TO PEKING, HE WOULD BE ABLE TO PERSUADE THE CHINESE TO ACCEPT THE AIRPORT PLANS AND, TO ENSURE THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION FOR HK PEOPLE AND A FAITHFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION.
REMARKS BY CHINESE LEADERS
6. LI PENG WAS QUOTED (25 AND 26.3) IN HIS OPENING ADDRESS AT THE FOURTH PLENUM OF THE SEVENTH NPC AS SAYING THAT CHINA WANTED TO STRENGTHEN ITS COOPERATION WITH THE BRITISH AND PORTUGUESE GOVERNMENTS ON THE BASIS OF THE SINO-BRITISH AND SINO-PORTUGUESE JOINT DECLARATIONS. HE SAID THAT CHINA'S POLICIES TOWARDS HK HAD BEEN WRITTEN IN THE BASIC LAW, WHICH WAS TO ENSURE THE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY OF HK AFTER THE TRANSFER OF SOVEREIGNTY. HE SAID HE BELIEVED THAT TAIWAN, HK AND MACAU COMPATRIOTS AS WELL AS OVERSEAS CHINESE WERE PATRIOTIC AND THAT THEY WERE WILLING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR EFFORTS TO THE MOTHERLAND'S PEACEFUL REUNIFICATION AND MODERNISATION PROGRAMME. LU PING WAS QUOTED (3.4) AS SAYING IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE BAUHINIA MAGAZINE THAT SINO-BRITISH COOPERATION WAS ESSENTIAL TO THE SMOOTH HANDLING OF HK QUESTION AND THAT ONLY IF BRITAIN AND CHINA COOPERATED SINCERELY WOULD HK ACHIEVE A SMOOTH HANDOVER.
HUMAN RIGHTS
PAGE
UNCLASSIFIED
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