UNCLASSIFIED
116424
MDLIAN 0694
CLEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF HONG KONG UP TO 1997. QUOTING HIGH-LEVEL HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SOURCES, R-1 (14.1) REPORTED THAT RECENT REMARKS BY CHINESE OFFICIALS ON THE AIRPORT HAD GONE BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE TALKS AND TOUCHED ON QUESTIONS OF PRINCIPLE RELATING TO HONG KONG'S ADMINISTRATION BEFORE 1997. SIR DAVID WILSON WAS QUOTED (14 AND 15.1) AS SAYING THAT THERE WAS NO DOUBT AT ALL ABOUT GETTING ON WITH BUILDING THE LONG-TERM INFRASTRUCTURAL PROJECTS AS THEY WERE IMPORTANT FOR THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG. HE ADDED THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD GO ON TALKING TO THE CHINESE THROUGH A VARIETY OF CHANNELS. HE ALSO SAID THAT HONG KONG NEEDED AN EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT, STRONG ADMINISTRATION AND THAT THERE WAS NO DOUBT AT ALL THAT IN EVERY WAY THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ADMINISTERING HONG KONG UP TO 1997 WAS THAT OF BRITAIN AND OF THE PRESENT HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. THE FCO SPOKESMAN IN HONG KONG, CHRISTOPHER OSBORNE, SAID (15.1) THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD PROTESTED AGAINST THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT THROUGH DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS IN PEKING FOR REVEALING INFORMATION IN BREACH OF THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF THE MEETINGS. HE WAS ALSO QUOTED. BY MING PAO (15.1) AS SAYING THAT IT WAS APPROPRIATE FOR THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO ''DISCUSS'' MAJOR DECISIONS CONCERNING THE PERIOD AFTER 1997.
9. LEGCO MEMBER MARTIN LEE WAS REPORTED (14.1) TO HAVE URGED THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO HOLD A REFERENDUM ON THE AIRPORT PROJECT. HE ALSO SAID THAT DIRECTLY-ELECTED MEMBERS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE FUTURE AIRPORT AUTHORITY TO INCREASE ITS REPRESENTATION.
GENERAL REMARKS
10. LU PING WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT PROBLEMS STILL EXISTED BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA AND THAT IT WAS HOPED THAT SIR DAVID WILSON'S VISIT TO PEKING LATER IN THE MONTH WOULD HELP IMPROVE THE SITUATION. JI PENGFEI WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS WITH SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS, GREATER EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO IMPROVE SINO-HONG KONG TIES. CHINESE PRESIDENT YANG SHANGKUN WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WOULD DEFINITELY MAINTAIN HONG KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY, ADDING THAT PROSPERITY IN HONG KONG WOULD BENEFIT THE MAINLAND. QUOTING AN ARTICLE BY NCNA HONG KONG BRANCH DIRECTOR ZHOU NAN IN THE LATEST OVERSEAS EDITION OF THE OUTLOOK WEEKLY, THE MEDIA NOTED THAT MR ZHOU HAD SAID THAT HONG KONG'S SITUATION WAS MORE STABLE THAN A YEAR BEFORE, THAT SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS HAD SEEN GREATER IMPROVEMENT, AND THAT OVERALL SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS, INCLUDING CO- OPERATION ON THE HONG KONG ISSUES, WOULD ENTIRELY RECOVER IF THEY WERE TREATED IN STRICT ACCORDANCE WITH THE JD BY BOTH PARTIES. MR
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