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016172
MDLIAN 4438
DEVELOPMENT. THIS COINCIDED WITH THE US-HK ACT AND THE SALE OF FIGHTER PLANES TO TAIWAN, WOULD SPLIT THE MAINLAND, HK AND TAIWAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION. THEY EVEN ASSISTED IN BEEFING UP FORCES ADVOCATING TAIWAN'S INDEPENDENCE TO POSE OBSTACLES TO CHINA'S REUNIFICATION. THE ARTICLE SAID THE GOVERNOR WOULD NOT SUCCEED IN PLAYING THE INTERNATIONAL CARD BECAUSE IT RAN COUNTER TO THE TREND OF PEACEFUL DEVELOPMENT: FAILED TO WIN PUBLIC OPINION IN STARTING A NEW COLD WAR: OVER-ESTIMATED THE INFLUENCE OF HK ON CHINA'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND UNDER-ESTIMATED CHINA'S DETERMINATION TO PROTECT ITS SOVEREIGNTY. AN ARTICLE IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF CHENG MING (30.12) SAID THE CURRENT DISPUTE HAD DRAWN CONCERN FROM MILITARY OFFICIALS IN CHINA. TWELVE OF THEM HAD EARLIER THIS MONTH SENT A JOINT LETTER TO CHINA'S TOP LEADERS JIANG ZEMIN, LI PENG, WAN LI AND LIU HUAQING, REQUESTING THEM TO ADOPT A FIRM ATTITUDE TOWARDS BRITAIN IN HANDLING HK'S POLITICAL CHANGES.
8. TA KUNG PAO REITERATED THE GOVERNOR SHOULD WITHDRAW HIS PACKAGE: AMENDMENTS OR PROPOSALS THAT BOTH SIDES SHOULD MAKE SOME CONCESSIONS WOULD NOT BE ACCEPTED BY THE CHINESE SIDE. THE ARTICLE ALLEGED IT WAS A PLOT OF THE BRITISH SIDE AND THE GOVERNOR TO PASS ON THIS HOT POTATO'' OF CONFRONTING CHINA TO LEGCO TO PUSH LEGISLATORS AND HK PEOPLE TO THE FIRING LINE. A COMMENTARY IN WEN WEI PO (30.12) CALLED ON HK PEOPLE NOT TO FALL INTO THE ''TRAP'' OF SUBMITTING COUNTER PROPOSALS. IT ALLEGED THE GOVERNOR WAS NOT SINCERE IN LISTENING TO THEM AS IN THE CASE OF THOSE PUT FORWARD BY LEGISLATOR ELSIE TU. IT ALSO ATTACKED UDHK FOR COMING OUT WITH MORE RADICAL COUNTER PROPOSALS TO HELP THE GOVERNOR CARRY HIS PLANS THROUGH.
QIAN QICHEN
9. DAB VICE CHAIRMAN TAM YIU CHUNG QUOTED (24.12) THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN QICHEN AS SAYING AT A MEETING WITH THE DAB DELEGATION THAT ACCORDING TO THE AIRPORT MOU, HE AND THE BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY SHOULD HAVE A MEETING NEXT MARCH AND IT WAS MR HURD'S TURN TO GO TO PEKING. MR QIAN WAS ALSO QUOTED AS SAYING HE THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE SOME CHANGES IN THE CURRENT SINO- BRITISH RELATIONS, BUT IT WAS NOT YET THE RIGHT TIME. REPORTS NOTED THE BRITISH FOREIGN OFFICE SPOKESWOMAN SAID THAT UNDER THE MOU THE BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY AND THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WOULD MEET EVERY SIX MONTHS. NOTING THEIR LAST MEETING WAS HELD IN SEPTEMBER IN NEW YORK, THE SPOKESWOMAN SAID NEITHER THE DATE NOR THE PLACE FOR THE NEXT MEETING HAD BEEN FIXED.
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