RESTRICTED v/c
ADVANCE COPY
060261
MDADAN 8054
RESTRICTED
FM PEKING
TO DESKBY 150830Z FCO
TELNO 366
OF 150459Z MARCH 93
AND TO DESKBY 15053OZ HONG KONG
INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG
INFO PRIORITY WASHINGTON, UKMIS NEW YORK
INFO ROUTINE TOKYO, CANBERRA, OTTAWA, SINGAPORE, JAKARTA, BANGKOK
INFO ROUTINE EC POSTS
NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONVRESS: LI PENG'S GOVERNMENT WORK REPORT:
15 MARCH: HONG KONG
1
•
FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF PASSAGE ON HONG KONG IN LI PENG'S GOVERNMENT WORK REPORT:
''ALL THE CHINESE PEOPLE, INCLUDING OUR COMPATRIOTS IN TAIWAN, HONG KONG AND MACAO AND THOSE LIVING ABROAD, HOPE TO SEE THE REUNIFICATION OF THE MOTHERLAND. WE SHALL NEVER WAVER IN OUR DETERMINATION TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL AT AN EARLY DATE, ADHERING TO THE PRINCIPLES OF PEACEFUL REUNIFICATION AND ONE COUNTRY, TWO
SYSTEMS''.
''IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION ON HONG KONG, ON JULY 1, 1997 WE SHALL RESUME THE EXERCISE OF SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG. THIS IS CHINA'S SACRED RIGHT, AND IT MUST NOT BE JEOPARDIZED. AFTER THE CHINESE AND BRITISH GOVERNMENTS SIGNED THE JOINT DECLARATION IN 1984, THEY COOPERATED CLOSELY ON THE ISSUE OF HONG KONG. LAST OCTOBER, HOWEVER, WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG PERFIDIOUSLY AND UNILATERALLY PROPOSED A PROGRAMME FOR MAJOR CHANGES IN THE CURRENT POLITICAL
SYSTEM IN THE TERRITORY. HIS ACTION GOES AGAINST THE SPIRIT OF THE JOINT DECLARATION, AGAINST BRITAIN'S COMMITMENT TO GRADUALLY BRING THE POLITICAL SYSTEM IN HONG KONG INTO LINE WITH THE BASIC LAW OF THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, AND AGAINST THE RELEVANT UNDERSTANDINGS WHICH THE CHINESE AND BRITISH GOVERNMENTS HAVE REACHED. THE BASIC LAW IS A PRODUCT OF DEMOCRATIC DISCUSSIONS. IN ESSENCE, THE ACTION TAKEN BY THE BRITISH AUTHORITIES IN HONG KONG AGAINST THE BASIC LAW IS
DESIGNED TO CREATE DISORDER AND TO IMPEDE THE SMOOTH TRANSFER OF POWER, SO IT IS NOT A QUESTION OF DEMOCRACY. WE STAND FOR LONG-TERM PROSPERITY AND STABILITY IN HONG KONG, AND WE HAVE BEEN
PAGE 1 RESTRICTED
For