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INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON, HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
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MDLIAN 7590
ты, шебного
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Me Connell Bill
PATTISON'S T/L OF 13 AUGUST: US HONG KONG POLICY ACT
file
SUMMARY
Natio
1. FORMAL CHINESE PROTEST AT SIGNATURE OF HONG KONG POLICY ACT.
DETAIL
2.
TODAY'S (12 OCTOBER) CHINA DAILY CARRIES A REPORT THAT VICE-FOREIGN MINISTER LIU HUAQIU 'RECENTLY' SUMMONED MY US COLLEAGUE TO PROTEST AGAINST PRESIDENT BUSH'S SIGNATURE OF THE 1992 HONG KONG POLICY ACT. LIU IS REPORTED TO HAVE REMINDED AMBASSADOR ROY OF THE REPEATED REPRESENTATIONS MADE BY THE CHINESE ABOUT THE BILL OVER THE PAST YEAR. THE PRESIDENT HAD CHOSEN TO IGNORE CHINESE OPPOSITION AND HAD SIGNED THE BILL. THE CHINESE SIDE WAS OBLIGED TO EXPRESS ITS DEEP REGRET AND TO PROTEST. THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG WAS A MATTER FOR CHINA AND BRITAIN BEFORE 1997, AND SHOULD BE HANDLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION. AFTER 1997 IT WOULD BE PURELY AN INTERNAL AFFAIR OF CHINA. BY APPROVING THE HONG KONG POLICY ACT, THE US AIMED TO MEDDLE IN HONG KONG'S POLITICAL AFFAIRS AND INTERFERE IN CHINA'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS BY WAY
OF DOMESTIC LEGISLATION. THIS CONSTITUTED A VIOLATION OF THE RECOGNISED PRINCIPLES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND WAS ABSOLUTELY
UNACCEPTABLE TO THE CHINESE SIDE. THE CHINESE LANGUAGE PRESS
CARRIED SIMILAR REPORTING ON 12 OCTOBER.
COMMENT
3.
THE MEETING TOOK PLACE ON THE AFTERNOON OF 9 OCTOBER. MY US
COLLEAGUE TELLS ME THAT IT WAS THE FIRST TIME HE HAD BEEN SEEN AT VICE-FOREIGN MINISTER LEVEL SINCE THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED HIS WILLINGNESS TO AUTHORISE THE SALE OF F16S TO TAIWAN. BEFORE THE MEETING HE HAD WONDERED WHETHER THE TIMING MIGHT IN SOME WAY BE CONNECTED WITH MR PATTEN'S LEGCO ADDRESS THOUGH IT FOLLOWED NATURALLY FROM THE PRESIDENT'S SIGNATURE ON 5 OCTOBER. AS IT TRANSPIRED LIU HUAQIU'S PROTEST CONTAINED NO NEW ELEMENTS AND
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