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074056
N 1696
5. THE SIGNING CEREMONY OF THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, THE SPEECHES BY MR MAJOR AND PREMIER LI AT THE CEREMONY AND THE JOINT PRESS COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS WERE EXTENSIVELY REPORTED BY THE MEDIA (4.9). THE MEDIA HIGHLIGHTED THAT BOTH LEADERS HAD STRESSED THE NEED TO CONTINUE CLOSE CO-OPERATION. PREMIER LI WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT CHINA WOULD FULLY IMPLEMENT THE JOINT DECLARATION AND WAS DETERMINED TO STRENGTHEN SINO-BRITISH
DISCUSSIONS AND CO-OPERATION ON THE BASIS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION.
MR MAJOR WAS WIDELY QUOTED AS SAYING THAT THE JOINT DECLARATION HAD SET THEIR COURSE AND THE AIRPORT MEMORANDUM HAD HELPED THEM ON THEIR WAY. HE ALSO SAID THAT BOTH GOVERNMENTS HAD REAFFIRMED THEIR DETERMINATION TO STICK TO THE LETTER AND SPIRIT OF THE JOINT DECLARATION, MAKING CLEAR THAT HMG WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ADMINISTERING HONG KONG UP TO 1997 AND THAT THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT SEEKING A VETO POWER OR JOINT SUPERVISION.
6. THE MEDIA REPORTED (4.9) THAT MR MAJOR HELD A TWO-AND-A-HALF HOUR MEETING ON HONG KONG AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES WITH PREMIER LI, DURING WHICH HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES WERE DISCUSSED AND MR MAJOR HAD RAISED BY NAME THE CASES OF SEVERAL JAILED DISSIDENTS AND ACTIVISTS WHO HAD
BEEN DETAINED. HOWEVER MR LI REJECTED HIS ADMONITIONS AND THE
POSITIONS OF THE TWO SIDES ON THE MATTER HAD BEEN TOUGH. AN NCNA DISPATCH SAID DURING THE MEETING BOTH SIDES HAD STRESSED THAT THEY WOULD MAKE EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN STABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG AND THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAD HOPED TO SEE AN EFFICIENT HONG
KONG GOVERNMENT DURING THE TRANSITION.
7 MANY PAPERS (4.9)
·
CARRIED THE JOINT COMMUNIQUE, NOTING THAT BOTH SIDES HAD AGREED TO TAKE MEASURES TO ACCELERATE WORK OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP IN A BID TO COMPLETE ALL TASKS SET OUT IN THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THAT THEY HAD AGREED IN PRINCIPLE ON AN EARLY ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL.
8. THE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE IN PEKING WAS WIDELY REPORTED (4.9), WITH MANY PAPERS HIGHLIGHTING HIS REMARKS ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION AND SINO-BRITISH CO-OPERATION.
9. MOST PAPERS, IN COMMENTS ON MR MAJOR'S VISIT IN CHINA, NOTED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE VISIT TO SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS AND THE FUTURE WELL-BEING OF HONG KONG WHILE THE LEFT WING PAPERS STRESSED THE BENEFITS OF SINO-BRITISH CO-OPERATION TO HONG KONG. ON THE SIGNING OF THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, THE LEFT WING PAPERS APPLAUDED IT AS A NEW MILESTONE IN SINO-BRITISH CO-OPERATION. OTHER PAPERS AGREED
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