UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 629
OF 221036Z APRIL 93
UNCLASSIFIED
HKB 301/2
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
26 APR 1993
DESK OFFICER
REGISTRY
INDEX
PA
Action Taken
pn.
Predia (Pass)
000516
MOLIAN 8600
15
INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA
HONG KONG FUTURE : PRESS COVERAGE (9.4 22.4)
PART ONE OF TWO:
CORRECTED VERSION
SUMMARY
1.
VARIOUS WITH APOLOGIES:
THE RE-OPENING OF TALKS BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA ON HK'S 1994/95 ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS DOMINATED MEDIA COVERAGE.
RE-OPENING OF TALKS
2. LEGCO MEMBERS AND POLITICAL GROUPS GENERALLY WELCOMED THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RE-OPENING OF TALKS (14.4). SO DID MOST NEWSPAPERS EDITORIALS. IT WAS NOTED THE TALKS WOULD CENTRE ON THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1994/95 ELECTIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE JD, THE PRINCIPLE OF CONVERGENCE WITH THE BL AND THE RELEVANT AGREEMENTS AND UNDERSTANDINGS BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN. THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD BE REPRESENTED BY THE AMBASSADOR IN PEKING SIR ROBIN MCLAREN AND THE CHINESE SIDE BY THE VICE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS JIANG ENZHU. IT WAS ALSO NOTED SIR ROBIN WOULD BE SUPPORTED BY THE SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS MICHAEL SZE, DEPUTY SECRETARY PETER LAI, THE POLITICAL ADVISER WILLIAM EHRMAN AND THE HEAD OF THE HK DEPARTMENT OF THE FOREIGN OFFICE
PETER RICKETTS.
3. ZHANG JUNSHENG'S REMARKS (15.4) ON THE STATUS OF HKG OFFICIALS IN THE TALKS WERE WIDELY NOTED. ZHENG SAID THAT BOTH SIDES WOULD HAVE ONLY ONE REPRESENTATIVE. THE REST OF THE TEAMS WERE ADVISERS AND EXPERTS. SOME PAPERS REPORTED THAT ZHANG ACCUSED THE BRITISH SIDE OF 'PLAYING PETTY TRICKS' BY UNILATERALLY ANNOUNCING THE COMPOSITION OF THE BRITISH TEAM TO CREATE NEW OBSTACLES FOR THE TALKS. THE PAPERS NOTED SIMILAR COMMENTS ON THE STATUS OF THE PARTICIPANTS AT THE TALKS BY CNA AND CNS DESPATCHES, QUOTING A NCNA SPOKESMAN.
1
PAGE UNCLASSIFIED