CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO

TELNO 550

OF 021506Z JUNE 93

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

CONFIDENTIAL

HKB 011/7

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

O JUN 1995

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

REGIST TOP COPY

Action Taken

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

@PIST?

(38)

124765 MDHOAN 635

YOUR TELNO 882 AND PEKING TELNO 768:

1994 DISTRICT BOARDS

1. It is a pity that this Order in Council has to be tabled so soon, at a time when Chinese nerves are still raw after the passage of the BEC Ordinance. The Chinese side are all too likely to see

to see this as a move to implement the BEC Legislation, in defiance of their request to us to take QUOTE remedial action UNQUOTE. It could therefore serve to prolong the recriminations over the BEC affair.

2.

That said, we accept your judgement that it is necessary to proceed with gazetting the Order on 4 June. But in the light of the points in para 1 above, we agree with Peking that there would be advantage in explaining to the Chinese side on 4 June what was involved, in particular that this was an Order under the DB Ordinance, and that it was not relevant to the issue of the number of DB appointed members.

If so, it

3.

Incidentally, we were intrigued to see

were intrigued to see that LegCo are not sitting on 16 or 23 June. Is this a Recess? might/might provide some respite from the pressure to disclose the contents of the talks (which would otherwise be likely to intensify after the fifth round, we assume).

HURD

YYYY

ΜΑΙΝ

65

.HK POLICY

HKD

PUSD

DISTRIBUTION

72

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