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PROPOSALS RATHER THAN JUST CRITICISE'.
C) IN THE 9TH PARAGRAPH, AFTER THE SENTENCE ON MY CRITERIA FOR THE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS, THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL SENTENCES MIGHT BE ADDED: 'THESE CRITERIA HAVE INCIDENTALLY BEEN ACCEPTED
BY LU PING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE HE GAVE ON 23 OCTOBER'.
D) IN THE ELEVENTH PARAGRAPH, ADD THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL SENTENCE AT THE END: 'WE SHOULD NOT, OF COURSE, FORGET THAT HONG KONG IS THE LARGEST COMPONENT OF OUR BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA. THE CHINESE HAVE ALREADY BEHAVED EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVELY OVER OUR PROPOSALS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE
AIRPORT. THERE WOULD COME A POINT WHEN IT WOULD SURELY BE WHOLLY WRONG FOR US TO OVERLOOK CONTINUING CHINESE ATTEMPTS AT INTIMIDATION.'
3. MORE GENERALLY, WE WILL CONTINUE HERE, AS WITH THE CHINESE, TO ENCOURAGE COUNTER PROPOSALS FROM THOSE WHO DO NOT LIKE MY PACKAGE, NO GROUP HAS YET COME UP WITH A BETTER WAY OF MEETING MY CRITERIA, BUT SOME ARE BEGINNING TO FORMULATE IDEAS (ADPL AND THE CIVIC ASSOCIATION SO FAR). IF ALTERNATIVES EMERGE WHICH MEET MY CRITERIA, AND COMMAND MAJORITY SUPPORT IN LEGCO, I WOULD CERTAINLY BE PREPARED TO CONSIDER EMBRACING THEM. THE KEY POINT IS THAT THE EVENTUAL PACKAGE WHICH LEGCO PASSES MUST BE DETERMINED BY AND IN HONG KONG.
4. AS YOUR PAPER MAKES CLEAR, THE NEXT FEW MONTHS ARE LIKELY TO BE ROUGH. IF THE CHINESE TRY TCOME RRE OF SUPPORT IN FINANCE LEAST THERE SEEMS TO BE A GOOD MEASU
COMMITTEE EVEN FROM THE CRC). PUBLIC SUPPORT HAS SO FAR HELD UP REMARKABLY WELL. IN THE WEEKS AND MONTHS AHEAD WE WILL BE CONCENTRATING ON TWO GROUPS: INDIVIDUAL LEGCO MEMBERS AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
5. I WILL WANT TO TALK TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE ABOUT THE
MEETING BETWEEN HIM AND QIAN QICHEN. THE AIM WOULD BE LESS TO REACH AN ACCOMMODATION THAN TO PREVENT THE CONSULTATION PROCESS DRAGGING ON ENDLESSLY AND TO SHOW HONG KONG OPINION THAT WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH ALL THE CONSULTATIVE HOOPS. WE DO NOT SUGGEST APPROACHING THE CHINESE UNTIL NEARER THE TIME, BUT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF THE SECRETARY OF STATE COULD BLOCK OFF SOME DATES IN
THE FIRST HALF OF JANUARY.
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CONFIDENTIAL