CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELNO 1369
OF 20120OZ MAY 92
INFO PRIORITY BTC HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
024066
MDHIAN 4747
PART TWO OF TWO PARTS
YOUR TELNO 764: MR. GOODLAD'S VISIT TO HONG KONG: MOOD OF THE COMMUNITY
11.
ALSO SIGNIFICANT WAS THE PRAGMATIC PUBLIC RESPONSE TO THE AGREEMENT TO CO-OPERATE MORE CLOSELY WITH CHINESE LAW-ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. EVEN LAST YEAR, THE SUGGESTION THAT CHINA'S PUBLIC SECURITY BUREAU SHOULD PAST REPRESENTATIVES HERE WOULD HAVE CAUSED ANXIETY. BUT, DESPITE SOME DISSENTING VOICES, THIS MONTH'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF SUCH AN ARRANGEMENT WAS GENERALLY ENDORSED AS AN APPROPRIATE STEP IN THE EFFORT TO COMBAT CROSS-BORDER CRIME.
12. HOWEVER, THERE IS STILL MUCH SCEPTICISM ABOUT CHINA AND ITS COMMUNIST LEADERSHIP. THE JLG CONTINUES TO BE STALLED ON MAJOR ISSUES. THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT IS STILL READY TO ADOPT CONFRONTATIONAL POSTURES IN ITS BID TO PRESENT ITSELF AS THE SOLE LEGITIMATE GUARDIAN OF LOCAL INTEREST. CHINESE OFFICIALS CHOSE TO MAKE HOSTILE COMMENTS IN PUBLIC IN RELATION TO THE BUDGET AND PADS CONTRACTS. SUCH ILL-JUDGED, AND GENERALLY ILL-INFORMED, INTERVENTIONS CREATE PESSIMISM LOCALLY ABOUT THE ABILITY OF CHINESE OFFICIALS TO ACQUIRE THE DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF HONG KONG AND ITS AFFAIRS THAT THEY WILL REQUIRE IN 1997, AND ABOUT THE LIKELIHOOD OF THEM INTERFERING IN MATTERS WITH IN THE AUTONOMY OF THE SARG.
DOMESTIC POLITICS
13.
LEGCO SESSIONS CONTINUE TO BE CONTENTIOUS, AND THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ATTACKED ON ALL SIDES, ESPECIALLY ON THE BUDGET. BUT THE COMMUNITY HAS NOT BEEN UNDULY ALARMED BY THE VIGOROUS POLITICAL DEBATE. POLLS CONDUCTED EARLIER IN THE YEAR SUGGESTED THAT THE PUBLIC EXPECTS LEGCO MEMBERS TO SCRUTINISE HKG ROBUSTLY. THE COMMUNITY, HOWEVER, WOULD BE CONCERNED IF LEGCO FRUSTRATED THE PASSAGE OF NECESSARY GOVERNMENT BUSINESS. SO FAR THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED. THE ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN ABLE TO MUSTER
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