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17446 MDLIAN 328
SINO-BRITISH CONTACTS
21. SING TAO DAILY (30.3) REPORTED THAT THE BRITISH SIDE WERE RECENTLY TRYING TO RESUME CONTACTS WITH THE CHINESE THROUGH DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS. SOURCES IN DIPLOMATIC CIRCLES IN PEKING SAID THAT THE BRITISH WANTED TO RESUME NORMAL DIPLOMATIC TIES SO THAT SINO-BRITISH CO-OPERATION, ESPECIALLY ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT, WOULD NOT BE AFFECTED BY THE POLITICAL ROW.'
LAND COMMISSION
22. PAPERS (30.3) QUOTED SPEL, TONY EASON, AS SAYING THAT NO DATE HAD YET BEEN FIXED FOR THE NEXT LAND COMMISSION MEETING. HE SAID THAT THE BRITISH SIDE HAD PROPOSED A MEETING DATE AND HAD PUT ACROSS TO THE CHINESE SIDE THE LAND DISPOSAL PROGRAMME AND THAT A REPLY WAS AWAITED.
23. QUOTING ASSISTANT TO ZHOU NAN, LEE WAI TING, PAPERS (31.3) REPORTED THAT THE LAND COMMISSION WOULD EVENTUALLY MEET AND THE LAD DISPOSAL PROGRAMME WOULD NOT BE AFFECTED. LEE SAID THE CHINESE SIDE ALSO WANTED TO MAINTAIN THE JLG AS A WORKING CHANNEL AND IT HAD NO INTENTION TO MAKE THINGS DIFFICULT FOR THE HK GOVERNMENT OVER THE MATTER OF LAND SUPPLY. THERE WAS AS YET NOT MEETING DATE FOR THE LAND COMMISSION BECAUSE THE BRITISH SIDE HAD NOT PROPOSED A DATE AS LATE AS MARCH 13. HE ADDED THAT THE CHINESE SIDE NEVER SPECIFIED THAT THE ANNUAL LAND GRANT WOULD BE STRICTLY RESTRICTED TO 50 HECTARES, BUT RATHER IT WOULD BE DECIDED ACCORDING TO PRACTICAL NEEDS. ON THE PRELIMINARY WORK ORGANISATION FOR THE SAR PREPARATORY COMMITTEE, HE SAID ITS WORK SHOULD NOT COVER LAND GRANT AND FRANCHISES. HE ALSO SAID IT WAS UNLIKELY THAT LI LANQING WOULD HEAD THE WORK ORGANISATION AS REPORTED BECAUSE HIS MAIN RESPONSIBILITY WAS ON ECONOMIC AND TRADE MATTERS.
GOVERNOR
24. IN AN INTERVIEW WITH SING TAO DAILY (24.3) THE GOVERNOR SAID THAT THE BRITISH SIDE DID NOT HAVE ANY NEW PROPOSALS TO REOPEN TALKS IN THE FACE OF THE PRESENT DEADLOCK. HOWEVER, HE FELT THAT THERE WAS NO NEED TO SET A DEADLINE FOR TABLING OR INTRODUCING THE REFORM BILL TO LEGCO. HE HOPED THAT THE BILL COULD BE INTRODUCED TO LEGCO AFTER CHINA AND BRITAIN HAD HAD TALKS. ON THE STATUS OF HK OFFICIALS IN TALKS WITH CHINA, HE SAID THAT ALTHOUGH PUBLIC VIEWS WOULD CHANGE FROM TIME TO TIME HE WOULD UPHOLD HIS • PRINCIPLE AND THAT ALL THINGS THAT HE DID WERE FOR THE BENEFIT OF HK PEOPLE.
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