UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
HKB 012/3
RECE
ESTRY
FM HONG KONG
1. MAR 1993
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 269
INDER
FA
REGISTRY Action Taken
OF 191036Z FEBRUARY 93
pa. Leg C (56)
177002
MDLIAN 5381
13
Ms Saundiscor
INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA
PART ONE OF TWO
HONG KONG FUTURE: PRESS COVERAGE: (12.2 19.2)
SUMMARY
1. SPECULATION ABOUT THE RESUMPTION OF SINO-BRITISH TALKS ON HK'S CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS TOPPED THE NEWS.
CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS
2. MING PAO QUOTED A RELIABLE SOURCE (12.2) AS REVEALING THE CHINESE SIDE HAD PSYCHOLOGICALLY PREPARED THEMSELVES THAT LEGCO WOULD PASS THE GOVERNOR'S PACKAGE. THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD INSIST THAT LEGCO WAS ONLY AN ADVISORY BODY AND WOULD NOT CHANGE THEIR STAND. IN SETTING UP ANOTHER STOVE, THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD FIRMLY ADHERE TO THE PRINCIPLE OF HK PEOPLE RULING HK AND WOULD CHOOSE THOSE WHO WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO HK PEOPLE. THE SOURCE HINTED TRADITIONAL PRO-CHINESE FIGURES, LEFTISTS AND DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS WHO WERE HOSTILE TO CHINA WOULD NOT BE SELECTED. ON CONTRACTS STRADDLING 1997, THE SOURCE SAID THE CHINESE SIDE INSISTED THE CONTRACTS HAD TO BE ENDORSED BY THEM. THIS WAS A QUESTION OF PRINCIPLE AND ALSO AIMED TO PREVENT THE BRITISH SIDE FROM EXPLOITING HK IN THE LATTER HALF OF THE TRANSITION. AS REGARDS THE CURRENT DISPUTE, THE CHINESE SIDE REGARDED THIS AS A DIPLOMATIC DISPUTE. THE PRINCIPLES WERE SET BY DENG XIAOPING BUT THE STRATEGY WAS DESIGNED BY PREMIER LI PENG AND FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN QICHEN. ACTIONS BY THE HKMAO AND NCNA HK WERE CO-ORDINATED
BY THE MFA.
3. SOME PAPERS QUOTED (12.2) A CHINESE SOURCE AS INDICATING THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD NOT CONCEDE ON QUESTIONS OF PRINCIPLE EVEN IF THE BRITISH SIDE INFORMED THE CHINESE IN ADVANCE OF THE RELEVANT BILLS TO BE GAZETTED. THE GOVERNOR HAD TO WITHDRAW HIS PACKAGE PRIOR TO DISCUSSIONS BEING HELD. THE CHINESE SIDE INDICATED THEY WOULD MAKE A RESPONSE INDICATING DISSATISFACTION WHEN THE
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