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142767
MDL N 2513
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COLLEGE LECTURER HUANG CHIH-LIEN SAID THAT THE CONTROVERSY OVER THE AIRPORT HAD SHOWN A SPLIT IN THE INTERPRETATION OF THE JD AND THAT BOTH SIDES MUST PROMPTLY ARRANGE MEETINGS TO RESOLVE THE DISPUTE. A VICE-DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE OF HONG KONG AND ASIA STUDIES UNDER THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY, LAU SIU-KAY, SAID THAT THE EMERGENCE OF A ROW BETWEEN THE CHINESE AND THE BRITISH OVER THE ADMINISTRATION OF HONG KONG IN THE TRANSITION WAS BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THE JD HAD NOT CLEARLY DEFINED SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS AND THEIR ROLE IN HONG KONG. MAGAZINE EDITOR LEE YEE NOTED THAT THERE WERE NO PROVISIONS IN THE JOINT AGREEMENT ALLOWING CHINA TAKE PART IN DECISION-MAKING ON HONG KONG AFFAIRS WHICH STRADDLED 1997. HE STRESSED THAT THE AGREEMENT CLEARLY STIPULATED THAT HONG KONG AFFAIRS SHOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BRITISH-HONG KONG GOVERNMENT BEFORE 1997. BARRISTER KENNETH CHOW SAID THAT FROM A LEGAL POINT OF VIEW, THE CHINESE DEFINITELY HAD THE RIGHT TO EXAMINE MAJOR MEASURES THAT STRADDLED 1997, ADDING THAT MATTERS AFTER 1997 SHOULD BE BEYOND THE SCOPE OF ADMINISTRATION OF BRITAIN. WEN WEI PO AND SING TAO JIH PAO (21.1) QUOTING AN HONG KONG CHINA NEWS SERVICE DISPATCH, NOTED THAT HONG KONG ACADEMICS AND PROFESSIONALS SAID THAT IT WAS REASONABLE FOR CHINA TO SPEAK FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE'S INTERESTS AFTER 1997 AND THAT CHINA'S PARTICIPATION IN DISCUSSIONS ON HONG KONG AFFAIRS WHICH STRADDLED 1997 WOULD NOT AFFECT HONG KONG PEOPLE'S CONFIDENCE IN THE POST-1997 PERIOD.
GOVERNOR'S VISIT TO PEKING
4. SIR DAVID WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE OBJECTIVE OF THE VISIT WAS TO DEAL WITH ANY ISSUE CONCERNING HONG KONG AS IT WAS
UNDERSTOOD THAT A GOOD RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA WAS VITAL FOR THE TERRITORY. TIAN ZENGPEI SAID THAT THE VISIT BY SIR DAVID WOULD HELP INCREASE MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND
CO-OPERATION ON THE HONG KONG QUESTION.
BILL OF RIGHTS
5. A LEGAL ADVISER OF THE HONG KONG BANK, MALCOLM BARNETT, HAD WARNED THAT THE PROPOSED BILL OF RIGHTS WOULD COMPROMISE THE BANK'S CONFIDENTIALITY ON CUSTOMER SECRETS AS THE PROVISIONS ON INTER-CITIZEN RIGHTS IN THE DRAFT HUMAN RIGHTS LEGISLATION COULD BE ABUSED AGAINST PRIVATE BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS.
HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE
6. THE EXPRESS (17.1), QUOTING RELIABLE SOURCES FROM PEKING, REPORTED THAT THERE WOULD BE CHANGES OF DEPARTMENT HEADS AT THE HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE OF THE STATE COUNCIL AND THE FOREIGN
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