UNCLASSIFIED
f
053532
MDLIAN 4817.
24.
THE LOCAL PRESS ACCORDED (12.7) PROMINENT COVERAGE TO THE REMARKS MADE BY THE VISITING HKMAO VICE DIRECTOR WANG QIREN OF THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING (WHC). MR WANG WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THE
SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENT ON THE WHO HAD TO BE RESPECTED AND FULLY IMPLEMENTED. WHEN CHINA GAVE ITS APPROVAL TO THE WHC FRANCHISE, THE BRITISH SIDE INDICATED THEY HAD ALREADY TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. THE NEED TO BALANCE TOLL CHARGES FOR THIS TUNNEL WITH THE OTHER TWO EXITING TUNNELS. THE LEFT-WING PRESS (12.7) ECHOED THE REMARKS OF MR WANG. TA KUNG PAO SAID IF HKG FAILED TO OVERCOME THE INTERFERENCE BY LEGISLATORS OVER THE WHC THIS WOULD RENDER DOUBTFUL HKG'S ABILITY TO IMPLEMENT FUTURE SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENTS. THIS WOULD CAST A SHADOW OVER FUTURE SINO-BRITISH COOPERATION AND NEGOTIATIONS.
PREPARATORY WORKING COMMITTEE
25.
QUOTING SOURCES (7.7) FROM THE CHINESE SIDE OF THE JLG, HK DAILY NEWS REPORTED ALTHOUGH THE PREPARATORY WORKING COMMITTEE WOULD DISCUSS AT ITS FIRST MEETING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL AFTER 1997, THE CHINESE SIDE STILL HOPED THE HKG WOULD TABLE A BILL IN LEGCO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BASED ON THE 1991 JLG AGREEMENT. THE SOURCES CONSIDERED IT WAS AN URGENT TASK TO EXPLAIN TO HK PEOPLE THAT HAVING THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL SET UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HAVING FLEXIBILITY ON THE NUMBER OF OVERSEAS JUDGES.
26. THE PAPERS (10.7) REPORTED THE CHINESE SIDE WERE CONSIDERING SETTING UP AD HOC GROUPS UNDER THE PREPARATORY WORKING COMMITTEE AND THAT NON-MEMBERS WOULD BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THESE GROUPS TO INCREASE ITS REPRESENTATIVENESS. ZHOU NAN, AT A MEETING WITH LOCAL NPC AND CPPCC DELEGATES AND HK AFFAIRS ADVISERS, WAS REPORTED TO HAVE SAID LOCAL DELEGATES AND ADVISERS WHO WERE NOT MEMBERS OF THE WORKING COMMITTEE COULD GIVE THEIR VIEWS BY TAKING PART IN THE AD HOC GROUPS.
JLG
27. HK DAILY NEWS REPORTED (7.7) IT WAS HIGHLY POSSIBLE FOR ZHAO JIHUA OF HKMAO MFA TO REPLACE GUO FENGMIN AS SENIOR CHINESE REPRESENTATIVE TO THE JLG.
HONG KONG ADVISERS
28.
THE EXPRESS (12.7) LEARNT THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD APPOINT THE THIRD BATCH OF HK ADVISERS BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. IN VIEW OF
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