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MDLIAN 2179
AND EMILY LAU.
GOVERNOR
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8. IN AN INTERVIEW WITH MING PAO (22-23.4) LORD WILSON WARNED THAT FAILURE TO SPEED UP THE WORK OF THE JLG WOULD AFFECT THE EFFECTIVE OPERATIONS OF THE HK SAR GOVERNMENT. HE REITERATED THAT GOOD RELATIONS WITH CHINA WAS VITAL TO A SMOOTH TRANSFER. HE SAID HK COULD STRENGTHEN LIAISON WITH CHINA VIA THREE CHANNELS: VISITS BY OFFICIALS BETWEEN BOTH SIDES, HKG EXPLAINING TO THE CHINESE SIDE IMPORTANT DECISIONS AND LISTENING TO THEIR VIEWS, AND CONTACTS BETWEEN THE HK BUSINESS SECTOR AND PEOPLE IN CHINA. LORD WILSON ALSO SAID IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN AN EFFICIENT CIVIL SERVICE WHICH COULD CONTINUE AFTER 1997 TO ENSURE CONTINUITY.
9. LORD WILSON'S MEETINGS WITH MR PATTEN IN LONDON WAS WIDELY REPORTED (28.4). THE SCMP SAID LORD WILSON GAVE A BROAD BRUSH OVERVIEW ON KEY TOPICS, INCLUDING RELATIONS WITH CHINA, THE PACE OF DEMOCRATISATION, THE AIRPORT PROJECT AND HK TRADE WITH GUANGDONG.
LU PING
10. HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE DIRECTOR LU PING WAS QUOTED AS SAYING (16.4) THAT CHINA WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE HKG'S CORPORATISATION AND PRIVATISATION PLANS AND DID NOT SEE ANY NEED TO INTRODUCE HASTY CHANGES BEFORE 1997. HE DENIED REPORTS THAT CHINA WANTED TO TURN RTHK INTO A MOUTHPIECE FOR THE HKSAR GOVERNMENT AND STRESSED THE CHINESE SIDE WERE NOT PIN-POINTING THE RTHK PLAN, BUT HAD RESERVATIONS ABOUT THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF CORPORATISATION/ PRIVATISATION..
LDF
11.
THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC FEDERATION WAS RECEIVED BY LU PING 915.4). LDF CHAIRMAN SIU KIN-YING SAID THAT MR LU WAS SINCERE IN LISTENING TO THEIR VIEWS ON THE STATUS OF EXCO AND LEGCO MEMEBRS, CHINA'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS HK IN THE LATTER HALF OF THE TRANSITION, DEMOCRATISATION, AND LAW AND ORDER.
CHEN ZIYING
12. CHEN ZIYING TOLD A DELEGATION OF NT EDUCATIONALISTS IN PEKING (19.4) THAT CHIFNA WOULD NOT SEEK TO CHANGE HK'S EDUCATION SYSTEM AFTTER 1997. HE SAID THAT THE POLICY OF ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS'' WOULD STAY AND THAT EDUCATION WAS VITAL TO MAINTAINING HK'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY AND THE POLICY OF 'HK PEOPLE RUNNING HK' AFTER 1997.
13.
MR CHEN WAID (21.4) THAT HK'S POLITICAL PARTIES COULD REMAIN
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