UNCLASSIFIED
137704
MDLIAN
96
UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 1296
OF 061118Z AUGUST 93
INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK
INFO ROUTINE HKGO SAN FRANCISCO, HKGO GENEVA
PART TWO OF TWO
HONG KONG FUTURE: PRESS COVERAGE: (29.7-6.8)
12. THE CHINESE NEWS AGENCY (2.8) IN A SIGNED COMMENTARY, SAID THE ANNOUNCEMENT HAD INVITED NEGATIVE COMMENTS FROM VARIOUS SECTORS. QUOTING NEWS FROM LEGCO MEMBERS AND LOCAL CIVIL SERVICE GROUPS, THE ARTICLE SAID THE NEW POLICY HAD UNDERMINED THE STABILITY OF THE CIVIL SERVICE AND THREATENED THE SMOOTH TRANSITION OF THE CIVIL
SERVICE SYSTEM.
13. NCNA HK VICE DIRECTOR ZHANG JUNSHENG WAS QUOTED AS SAYING (1.8) THE NEW ARRANGEMENTS CONSTITUTED A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM. SUCH A MAJOR ISSUE SHOULD COMPLY WITH THE BL AND THE CHINESE SIDE SHOULD BE CONSULTED. HKMAO DIRECTOR LU PING SAID
(2.8) LOCALISATION OF THE CIVIL SERVICE SHOULD BE SPEEDED UP. AS REGARDS THE STRUCTURE WITH REGARD TO EXPATRIATE CIVIL SERVANTS, THE BL HAD CLEAR STIPULATIONS.
14. NCNA HK'S LEE WAI-TING WAS QUOTED AS SAYING (3.8) THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONSULT THE CHINESE SIDE ON MAJOR ISSUES. HE ALSO QUESTIONED THE MEANING OF THE EXPRESSION 'TEMPORARY MEASURES'. THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL QUOTED LEE AS SAYING THE GOVERNMENT'S MOVE TO CHANGE APPOINTMENT TERMS FOR EXPATRIATE OFFICERS TOUCHED ON THE DEFINITION OF 'HK PERMANENT RESIDENTS', A QUESTION AS YET NO CONSENSUS HAD BEEN REACHED BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND CHINESE SIDES. THE BRITISH SIDE DID NOT CONSULT THE CHINESE SIDE IN ADVANCE AND THIS WAS IN CONTRAVENTION OF THE PRINCIPLE OF CONVERGENCE WITH THE BL. SING PAO AND THE UNITED DAILY NEWS QUOTED CHINESE SOURCES AS SAYING (4.8) THE HKG HAD ONLY INFORMED THE CHINESE SIDE OF THE NEW POLICY IN AN INFORMAL OCCASION AND THE CHINESE SIDE DID NOT REGARD THIS AS FORMAL NOTICE. AT THAT TIME CHINESE OFFICIALS HAD ALREADY POINTED OUT IT INVOLVED MAJOR POLICY CHANGES AND THE CHINESE SIDE HAD TO BE CONSULTED.
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