UNCLASSIFIED
064633
MDHIAN 183
5. BOTH PAPERS ALSO CARRY A XINHUA REPORT ABOUT QIAN QICHEN'S MEETING WITH A DELEGATION OF THE HONG KONG KOWLOON ALL-CIRCLES ASSOCIATION ON 17 MAY. THE FRONT-PAGE CHINA DAILY REPORT (HEADED: ''NO POLITICAL REFORM IN HONG KONG'' VICE-PREMIER) IS FULLER. QIAN REMINDED THE DELEGATION THAT THERE WERE ONLY 49 MONTHS TO GO BEFORE CHINA RESUMED SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG. HE SAID THAT THE MAINLAND'S PROSPERITY HAD A DIRECT BEARING ON HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY: PROSPERITY AND STABILITY IN THE MAINLAND WOULD CREATE THE CONDITIONS FOR HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY. HE HOPED FOR HONG KONG'S COOPERATION WITH THE MAINLAND. ON THE CURRENT TALKS, QIAN NOTED THAT THEY WERE BEING CONDUCTED ON THE BASIS OF THE JD, THE PRINCIPLE OF CONVERGENCE WITH THE BL AND THE RELEVANT AGREEMENTS AND UNDERSTANDINGS REACHED BY THE TWO SIDES. CHINA AND BRITAIN HAD REACHED A SERIES OF IMPORTANT AGREEMENTS ON THE HONG KONG ISSUE. THE PROBLEM NOW WAS HOW TO IMPLEMENT THESE AGREEMENTS, RATHER THAN TO LAUNCH 'POLITICAL REFORMS''. QIAN STRESSED THAT CHINA'S POLICIES OF ''ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS'' AND MAINTAINING HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY WOULD NOT CHANGE.
COMMENT
6.
QIAN'S REPORTED REMARKS TO THE HONG KONG KOWLOON ALL-CIRCLES DELEGATION WERE MORE POINTED THAN JIANG ZEMIN'S TO LORD CALLAGHAN. READERS OF THE CHINA DAILY WILL NOT BE EXPECTING THE CHINESE TO SHOW NEW FLEXIBILITY AT THE THIRD ROUND OF TALKS. THE INTRODUCTION OF A MONTH-TO-MONTH COUNTDOWN TO THE HANDOVER IS A NEW CAND RATHER
SNIDE) TACTIC.
MCLAREN
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
.HK POLICY
HKD
PUSD
FED
65
LEGAL ADVISERS//MS BARRETT LEGAL ADVISERS//MISS BROOKS
DISTRIBUTION
72
PAGE
NTCD
PLANNERS
RAD
PS
PS/MR GOODLAD
SIR J COLES
2
UNCLASSIFIED