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015741 MDLIAN 1904
22. ACCORDING TO CHINESE SOURCES QUOTED BY SING TAO DAILY (24.6), THE CHINESE HAD ORIGINALLY PREFERRED WANG HANBIN TO QIAN QICHEN FOR THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE WORKING COMMITTEE. THEY HAD THOUGHT APPOINTING QIAN MIGHT EXERT PRESSURE ON THE BRITISH SIDE AND CAUSE DIFFICULTIES TO THE TALKS. BUT GIVEN THE LACK OF PROGRESS IN THE TALKS THE CHINESE SIDE HAD DECIDED AFTER THE FIFTH ROUND TO APPOINT QIAN SO AS TO PREPARE FOR THE WORST. ANOTHER CONSIDERATION WAS THAT QIAN WOULD FACILITATE CO-ORDINATION AMONG THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS REPRESENTED ON THE COMMITTEE.
23.
SCMP REPORTED (25.6) THE WORKING COMMITTEE WOULD DISCUSS A PLAN TO OPEN AN OFFICE IN HK OR SHENZHEN IN ITS FIRST MEETING NEXT MONTH. HK NOMINEE DOROTHY LIU SUPPORTED THE IDEA, WHILE LO TAK- SHING WAS CONCERNED THAT ESTABLISHING AN OFFICE IN HK WOULD DAMAGE HKG'S ADMINISTRATIVE ABILITY.
24. ACCORDING TO THE PAPERS, (28.6) WHEN RECEIVING THE MEETING POINT DELEGATION, NPC VICE-CHAIRMAN WANG HANBIN EXPLAINED THERE
THE WOULD NOT BE A FIXED NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE. NPC/SC MIGHT IN ACCORDANCE WITH NEEDS INCLUDE ADDITIONAL MEMBERS AFTER THE COMMITTEE HAD BEEN SET UP. MR WANG WAS ALSO QUOTED TO HAVE AGREED WITH THE DELEGATION'S SUGGESTION THAT AFTER 1997, HK NPC DELEGATES SHOULD BE RETURNED BY ELECTIONS. THE MATTER SHOULD BE DETERMINED BEFORE THE TRANSITION. IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THE NPC MEETING IN MARCH 1997 WOULD DECIDE ON THE MATTER.
25. FORMER BLDC MEMBER AND NOMINEE TO THE PREPARATORY WORKING COMMITTEE WU JIANFAN SAID (28.6) THAT PRIMARY TASKS OF THE COMMITTEE WOULD BE TO EXAMINE ISSUES RELATED TO THE SETTING UP OF THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE: TO SCRUTINISE WHETHER EXISTING LAWS WERE COMPATIBLE WITH THE BL AND TO CONSIDER ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE STATIONING OF PLA IN HK AFTER 1997, INCLUDING PROVISIONS OF BARRACKS AND FACILITIES FOR THE TROOPS. ON THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL, MR WU SAID IT WOULD BE BEST IF THE JLG AGREEMENT WAS ADHERED TO. IF NOT, THE WORKING COMMITTEE MIGHT HAVE TO TAKE UP THE MATTER AS WELL.
26. BOTH THE ORIENTAL DAILY AND THE EXPRESS (28.6) LEARNT THAT THE NPC STANDING COMMITTEE HAD ALREADY DISCUSSED THE DRAFT RESOLUTIONS ON THE SETTING UP OF THE WORKING COMMITTEE, WHICH WERE EXPECTED, TO BE PASSED ON 2 JULY. HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL QUOTED SOURCES AS SAYING THAT THE WORKING COMMITTEE WOULD HOLD ITS FIRST MEETING ON 17 JULY IN PEKING WHEN HK MEMBERS WOULD RECEIVE THEIR APPOINTMENT LETTERS.
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