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RESPONSE TO LI PENG'S REMARKS THAT THE BRITISH SIDE HAD ALL ALONG BEEN TRYING TO BREAK THE DEADLOCK WHILE THE CHINESE SIDE WAS ADDING NEW PRECONDITIONS TO TALKS. THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL AND WAH KIU YAT PO HIGHLIGHTED HIS REMARK THAT THE SETTING UP OF THE PRELIMINARY WORK ORGANISATION FOR THE SAR PREPARATORY COMMITTEE WAS NO BIG DEAL.
8.
MOST PAPERS (7.4) CARRIED THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH AT THE ROYAL INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS NOTING IN PARTICULAR THAT THE GOVERNOR WOULD NOT BACK DOWN ON PRINCIPLES RELATING TO THE PARTICIPATION OF HK OFFICIALS IN TALKS. A FEW PAPERS ALSO NOTED THE GOVERNOR'S INTERVIEW WITH A TV STATION IN LONDON IN WHICH HE DESCRIBED CHINA'S REACTION TO HIS PROPOSALS AS AN OVER-REACTION.
9.
COMMENTING ON THE GOVERNOR'S REMARKS, NCNA VICE DIRECTOR ZHENG JUNSHENG DENIED THAT THE CHINESE HAD OVER-REACTED TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE. HE REPEATED THE ''THREE VIOLATIONS'' OF THE PACKAGE AND ACCUSED THE GOVERNOR OF DAMAGING SINO-BRITISH CONSULTATION BY GAZETTING THE REFORM BILL. HE SAID WHETHER THE TALKS COULD BE RE-OPENED WOULD DEPEND ON THE BRITISH ATTITUDE AND THAT THE BALL WAS NOW IN THE BRITISH COURT.
DOUGLAS HURD
10.
MANY PAPERS (2.4) NOTED THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE IN A SPEECH TO JAPANESE REPORTERS IN LONDON URGED JAPAN BUSINESSMEN TO EXERT THEIR INFLUENCE ON CHINA SO AS TO PRESERVE HK'S ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS BEYOND 1997. HE WAS ALSO QUOTED AS REITERATING THAT BRITAIN SUPPORTED THE GOVERNOR'S REFORM AND WAS READY TO HAVE TALKS WITH CHINA AT ANY TIME. THE LEFT-WING PRESS PLAYED UP REMARKS BY HK AFFAIRS ADVISERS ALLEN LEE, TSANG YOK-SING, AND NGAI SHIU-KIT WHO CRITICISED THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONALISING THE HK QUESTION. THEY SAID THAT THE FREEDOMS OF HK PEOPLE AND THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM OF HK HAD BEEN PROTECTED IN THE BL AND THAT NO THIRD PARTY SHOULD MEDDLE IN IT. THE JAPANESE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN HK WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT NO THIRD PARTY, IN PARTICULAR BUSINESSMEN, SHOULD MEDDLE IN POLITICAL ISSUES. CHINESE OFFICIALS CHEN ZIYING AND ZHANG JUNSHENG WERE QUOTED AS REITERATING THE CHINESE STAND THAT THE HK QUESTION WAS A MATTER FOR CHINA AND BRITAIN BEFORE 1997 AND WOULD BE AN INTERNAL MATTER FOR CHINA AFTER THAT.
11.
PAPERS (6.4) WIDELY NOTED THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE HAD IN A SPEECH MADE IN INDONESIA REITERATED THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S SUPPORT FOR THE GOVERNOR'S REFORM PACKAGE. HE SAID DEMOCRACY WAS
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