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PROPOSALS. TAM YIU-CHUNG GAINED THE IMPRESSION FROM LU PING THAT THE CHINESE DID NOT SERIOUSLY EXPECT ME TO WITHDRAW MY PROPOSALS, BUT EXPECTED INSTEAD THAT THEY WOULD BE CHANGED DURING THE LEGCO DEBATE.
5. THE CONTINUING EMPHASIS ON THE ''DIPLOMATIC FRAUD '' IS CLEAR. AS I COMMENTED BEFORE CHRISTMAS, I SUSPECT THAT THE CHINESE ESTIMATE THAT MY PROPOSALS ON THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES ARE LIKELY TO BE AMENDED. THEY ARE NOW TURNING THEIR ATTENTION TO THE ELECTION COMMITTEE.
6. IF AT THE END OF THE DAY LEGCO WERE TO AMEND MY PROPOSALS ON THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCES AND ELECTION COMMITTEE IN WAYS WHICH MET THE MAIN CHINESE CRITICISMS, IT IS PROBABLY STILL LIKELY THAT THERE WOULD BE A PERIOD OF FROSTY INTER-GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS, IF THE HKG HAD NOT ITSELF TAKEN THE INITIATIVE IN PROPOSING AT LEAST SOME OF THE CHANGES. BUT IF SUCH CHANGES OCCURRED, IMAGINE THAT THERE IS STILL AN OUTSIDE CHANCE THAT THE CHINESE MIGHT RESTRICT THEMSELVES TO SAYING THAT THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE WOULD REVIEW THE LEGCO ARRANGEMENTS IN 1996. IF ONLY ONE OF THE TWO CONTENTIOUS ELEMENTS IS AMENDED IN LEGCO THEIR REACTION WOULD NO DOUBT BE STRONGER.
7 I STILL BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER A MESSAGE TO THE
B
CHINESE BEFORE THE PROPOSALS ARE PUT TO LEGCO WHICH WOULD, INTER ALIA, SPELL OUT THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS (IE. NO FINAL VOTE IN FEBRUARY) AND TELL THEM THAT WE WILL BE PUBLISHING ALL OTHER PROPOSALS MADE. WE ARE ALREADY PUTTING ACROSS THE POINT THAT WE WILL ABIDE BY LEGCO'S DECISION, WHATEVER THE AMENDMENTS IT MAY MAKE TO THE PROPOSALS WE PUT TO IT.
8. SEE MIFT ON TODAY'S EXCO DISCUSSION.
PATTEN
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025011 MDHIAN 4272
UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 10
OF 040956Z JANUARY 93
UNCLASSIFIED
ADVANCE COPY TRY
JAN 1992
DEC
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wtlun. Taken
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
HONG
022267
MDADAN 6868
$
CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: LU PING'S INTERVIEW WITH HKTVB
1. LOCAL MEDIA TODAY GAVE PROMINENT COVERAGE TO LU PING'S INTERVIEW WITH HKTVB (BROADCAST ON 3 JANUARY). VERY LITTLE WAS NEW IN LU'S REMARKS. THE TONE WAS GENERALLY NON-CONFRONTATIONAL, BUT LU CLARIFIED CERTAIN POINTS WHICH HE HIMSELF AND QIAN QICHEN
HAD MADE DURING DAB'S RECENT VISIT TO PEKING.
'SEPARATE STOVE'
2.(I) LU SAID THERE WOULD BE NO NEED FOR A SEPARATE STOVE IF THE GOVERNOR WITHDREW THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROPOSALS. EVEN IF SUCH A STOVE WERE SET UP, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SAR PREPARATORY COMMITTEE WOULD NOT BE BROUGHT FORWARD.
(II) THE CHINESE SIDE WERE CONSIDERING SETTING UP AN ADVISORY BODY TO CONSULT HK PEOPLE ON ALL TRANSITION-RELATED MATTERS. NO FIRM VIEWS HAD BEEN TAKEN ON THE COMPOSITION OF SUCH A BODY. BUT IT WOULD NOT BE A SECOND POWER CENTRE IN HONG KONG.
(III) THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD NOT DRAW A LINE BETWEEN THOSE IN HONG KONG WHO SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROPOSALS AND THOSE WHO DID NOT. LU MAINTAINED THAT THE VAST MAJORITY IN HONG KONG WERE PATRIOTIC AND DID NOT WANT CONFRONTATION WITH CHINA.
CONTRACTS AND FRANCHISES
3. MAJOR CONTRACTS AND FRANCHISES STRADDLING 1997 WOULD HAVE TO BE DISCUSSED IN THE JLG. THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD ADOPT A VERY POSITION AND RESPONSIBLE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THESE CONTRACTS ETC. INCLUDING THOSE ON CT9 AND PAY TV. AS FOR THE OTHER CONTRACTS MADE BY HKG, THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD MAKE A BLANKET STATEMENT TO ENSURE THEIR CONTINUED VALIDITY WHEN THE TIME COMES'. LU ALSO REITERATED THE SAFEGUARDS FOR CIVIL SERVANTS UNDER THE JD AND THE
BL.
MINISTERIAL MEETING UNDER THE MOU
4. QUOTING FROM A TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEETING BETWEEN QIAN QICHEN
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