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the sides can establish ties". On 5th November, Hsu Sheng-fa submitted a report to "Executive Yuan Premier" Hau Pei-tsun on "the important breakthrough in Hong Kong- Taiwan relations". This "won Hau Pei-tsun's praise". These reports prove the fact that the nature of the meeting of Hsu Sheng-fa and Chris Patten can never be covered up by the mild comments of Messrs Chris Patten and Mike Hanson. Hsu Sheng-fa came to Hong Kong in the capacity of a Taiwan ruling party Central Committee Standing Committee member. He was responsible to the Taiwan authorities for his activities and he enjoyed their support, the aim being to establish "relations of official communication". Chris Patten should
have known what's what in all that.
Britain has established diplomatic relations with China, with the acknowledgement that the PRC has China's sole legitimate government. This being the case, Britain should refrain from any official ties with Taiwan whatsoever and should not pursue "two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”. The British governor stationed in Hong Kong, who is charged with implementing the Joint Declaration's tasks, should have a very clear picture of the significance of establishing ties with a political figure from the Taiwan authorities. A KMT Central Committee Standing Committee member could not have entered the Hong Kong Governor's house without an official invitation from the British authorities, nor could the incident have nothing to do with the British government. It is unlikely that such a political trick has nothing to do with Chris Patten's current challenge and confrontation with China.
It would be foolish and harmful to British interests should Chris Patten aim to resort to KMT forces in Hong Kong to support his "political reform”. None of the previous Hong Kong governors had exchanged flattery and favours with KMT Central Committee Standing Committee members as did Chris Patten. His act only illustrates the fact that, to confront China, he has been reduced to being unscrupulous, lost his senses, and deviated from normal, conventional and diplomatic practice.
Chris Patten has kept saying that he is “willing to exchange views", "willing to cooperate with China", and "willing to implement the Joint Declaration and support the one country, two systems"; however, facts prove that these are all lies. He does not have an iota of sincerity and everything he has done has amounted to foolishness which has worsened Sino-British
relations.
History proves that none of the colonialists hoped for China's reunification and regaining its strength. They always tried their best to create separation among the Chinese people. Referring to the objective historical lesson, we have grounds to pose a question to Chris Patten: At this particular moment, Chris Patten has suddenly broken a 40-year taboo by estalishing ties with Taiwan officials; what does he want to do? Does he want to pursue “Hong Kong indepedence" or "semi- independence for Hong Kong" under the pretext of “political reform"? Does he want to pursue "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" to jeopardize the “one country, two systems" plan and to impede China's magnificent cause of reunification? Or does he want to turn Hong Kong, as well as
9 Nov 92
Taiwan, into a political body? If that is the case, what Chris Patten is doing in Hong Kong precisely coincides with what Mountbatten did when he withdrew from India. That will
certainly rouse the Chinese people's vigilance.
[7]
XINHUA HONG KONG CHIEF WARNS AGAINST
TRYING TO “MAKE A MESS” IN HONG KONG
Zhongguo Xinwen She news agency Beijing in Chinese 1459 gmt 6 Nov 92
Excerpts frm report
Zhou Nan, director of the Xinhua Hong Kong branch, pointed out today [6th November] at a forum to convey the spirit of the 14th CCP national congress to people's congress deputies and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultation Conference in Hong Kong, that anyone who attempts to turn Hong Kong into an independent or a semi-independent state, or to prolong colonial rule in disguise, will never get their way.
Zhou Nan said: The victorious holding of the 14th party congress shows that reform and opening in China are irreversible and the party congress has greatly increased the confidence of the residents of Hong Kong. The political report to the 14th party congress takes the creative concept of “one country, two systems", initiated by Deng Xiaoping for national reunification, as a component part of the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. This is of great positive significance for Hong Kong... The report stressed the need for the "premise of one China” and this means that we are never ambiguous on the issue of state sovereignty... On the other hand, the report also reiterates that the existing capitalist system and the lifestyle in Hong Kong will remain unchanged for a long time after 1997...
When talking about Chris Patten's policy speech, Zhou Nan said that the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress [NPC] also included this issue in the agenda of its recent current meeting in Beijing. When meeting Patten recently, Foreign Minister Qian Qichen explicitly pointed out that the constitutional package in Patten's policy speech goes against the Sino-British Joint Declaration, violates the principle of converging with the Basic Law, and also violates the understanding between the Chinese and British governments on the relevant issues... After that, Mr Lu Ping also explained the Chinese viewpoint in detail... What they said was all factual and gave expression to the Chinese government's position.
Zhou Nan said: At present, the Hong Kong British authorities face only two choices. One is to set aside the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law and continue to go their own way. This will inevitably harm the interests of the Hong Kong residents and undermine Hong Kong's stability and prosperity and the Chinese government will not bear any responsibility for all the consequences arising therefrom. The other choice is to return to the course of strictly observing the Joint Declaration, converging with the Basic Law and abiding by the understandings reached by the two governments on various issues. Only thus will it be possible for the two sides to restore