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MDLIAN 4616
6. IN RESPONSE, DPA CONFIRMED A MEETING TOOK PLACE BETWEEN THE GOVERNOR AND HSU BUT STRESSED THAT HSU WAS RECEIVED IN HIS CAPACITY AS AN INDUSTRIALIST, AT THE SPECIFIC REQUEST OF THE HONG KONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. DPA POINTED OUT HSU HAD MET THE GOVERNOR TOGETHER WITH OTHER INDUSTRIALISTS FROM TAIWAN. HSU WAS NOT/NOT A MEMBER OF THE TAIWANESE GOVERNMENT AND THE MEETING DID NOT/NOT IN ANY WAY ALTER OUR POSITION ON TAIWAN. HE NOTED THAT SENIOR CHINESE LEADERS ALSO MET INDUSTRIALISTS FROM TAIWAN FROM TIME TO TIME (LI PENG REPORTEDLY MET THE DIRECTOR OF THE TAIWAN INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION ON 29 OCTOBER). IN RESPONSE TO YANG'S CLAIM THAT HKG HAD MADE QUOTE COMMITMENTS UNQUOTE NEVER TO HAVE CONTACTS WITH OFFICIAL OR SEMI-OFFICIAL TAIWANESE, DPA POINTED OUT THAT OF COURSE THE CHINESE SIDE WERE AWARE THAT WE HAD CONTACTS WITH TAIWANESE OFFICIALS IN SPECIFIC CONTEXTS, E.G. APEC AND IN OTHER AREAS WHERE PRACTICAL CO- OPERATION INVOLVED SOME DEGREE OF CONTACTS, LIKE THE POLICE.
7. YANG SAID HE COULD NOT ACCEPT THE EXPLANATION BECAUSE HSU WAS NOT/NOT AN ORDINARY INDUSTRIALIST BUT A QUOTE POLITICAL FIGURE OF TAIWAN OF CONSEQUENCE UNQUOTE. GETTING SLIGHTLY HOT UNDER THE COLLAR, YANG SAID THAT MEETINGS BETWEEN MAINLAND AND TAIWANESE TO DISCUSS MATTERS SUCH AS PEACEFUL REUNIFICATION WERE CHINA'S INTERNAL AFFAIR AND COULD NOT/NOT BE COMPARED WITH THE GOVERNOR'S MEETING WITH HSU. DPA SAID HE HAD NOT/NOT BEEN REFERRING TO POLITICAL MEETINGS BETWEEN MAINLAND AND TAIWAN LEADERS, BUT SIMPLY TO THE FACT THAT INDUSTRIALISTS FROM TAIWAN WERE RECEIVED AT SENIOR LEVELS IN PEKING. HONG KONG ALSO HAD IMPORTANT ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL LINKS WITH TAIWAN, FOR WHICH THE CHINESE HAD OFTEN CLEARLY STATED THEIR SUPPORT AND
ENCOURAGEMENT.
8.
YANG THEN ADDED FOR GOOD MEASURE THAT SEVERAL MOVES BY THE HKG RECENTLY HAD CAUSED GREAT CONCERN. HE CITED THE CASE OF PENG MINGMIN, THE TAIWANESE INDEPENDENCE ADVOCATE WHO RETURNED TO TAIWAN FROM THE STATES VIA HONG KONG. (SEE REPORTS SENT TO HKD AND PEKING ON 7 NOVEMBER). HE SAID THEY REGRETTED THAT HKG HAD NOT HEEDED THEIR REQUEST NOT/NOT TO ALLOW PENG AND HIS SUPPORTERS FROM TAIWAN TO ENTER HONG KONG. HE ALSO SAID JOHN NI HAD RECENTLY MADE A POLITICAL STATEMENT WHICH WAS NOT/NOT COMPATIBLE TO HIS STATUS HERE IN HONG KONG. THESE WERE CLEARLY POLITICAL FORCES MAKING USE OF HONG KONG FOR THEIR POLITICAL PURPOSES. HE ASKED HOW WE COULD RECONCILE THESE WITH OUR POLICY STATEMENT. YANG ALSO SAID HE RESERVED THE RIGHT TO FURTHER MAKE REPRESENTATIONS ON
THIS MATTER.
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