CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 165
OF 110908Z JUNE 91
CONFIDENTIAL
HKC026/3
1981
pa the visits tha
Pr 1116 TOP COPY Q DIST?
136733
MDHIAN 0570
INFO IMMEDIATE FCO, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
HONG KONG TELNO 112: HONG KONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (HKGCC) VISIT TO PEKING
SUMMARY
1.
HKGCC DELEGTION, LED BY VINCENT LO (CHAIRMAN, SHUI ON GROUP), CALL ON ME TO REPORT THIER MEETING WITH JIANG ZEMIN ON 10 JUNE.
THIS MEETING ALSO REPORTED IN CHINESE PRESS.
DETAIL
2.
PEOPLE'S DAILY AND CHINA DAILY TODAY (11 JUNE) BOTH CARRY REPORTS OF JIANG ZEMIN'S MEETING WITH THE HKGCC ON 10 JUNE (FAXED TO HONG KONG AND FCO). JIANG ZEMIN WAS REPORTED AS REAFFIRMING THAT CHINA HAD NO INTENTION OF INTERFERING IN THE DAILY ADMINISTRATION OF HONG KONG DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD AND THAT ''ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS'' WAS A LONG TERM POLICY, AS STIPULATED IN THE JD. HOWEVER, CHINA COULD NOT BUT THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE SEVERAL MILLION RESIDENTS OF HONG KONG AFTER 1997 AND HOPED THAT HKG WOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THE LONG TERM
STABILTY AND PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG BOTH NOW AND IN THE FUTURE. HE REPEATED THAT HONG KONG NEEDED A NEW AIRPORT BUT THE NEW
AIRPORT SHOULD NOT BE A BURDEN FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE NOW OR IN THE
FUTURE.
3. THE HKGCC DELEGATION CALLED ON ME ON 10 JUNE AND GAVE ME A
COPY OF THEIR OWN TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEETING WITH JIANG (COPY BY FAX). THAY HAD CONCLUDED THAT JIANG WAS NOT CLOSELY INVOLVED IN POLICY MAKING ON HONG KONG : HE HAD NOT SEEMED WELL INFORMED ABOUT THE DETAILS. I HAD EARLIER SEEN ONE MEMBER OF THE DELEGATION, MARTIN BARROW (DIRECTOR, JARDINES). BARROW SHOWED ME A COPY OF THE DELEGATION'S POSITON PAPER, WHICH PULLED MOST
OF ITS PUNCHES. HE WAS CONCERNED THAT WHAT THE DELEGATION HAD TO
SAY ON THE AIRPORT WOULD BE UNLIKELY TO ADVANCE HONG KONG'S
CAUSE. THIS WAS CONFIRMED IN THE LINE TAKEN BY VINCENT LO AND
OTHERS AT THEIR MEETING WITH ME.
attached.
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