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26457
MDLIA. 2582
THAT WHAT THE GOVERNOR HAD DONE WAS IN THE INTERESTS OF HK PEOPLE AND HAD THE SUPPORT OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. ON THE STATUS OF HK OFFICIALS IN THE TALKS, SIR ROBIN SAID ALL ALONG THERE WAS NO DISTINCTION AMONG HKG OFFICIALS IN PAST SINO-BRITISH
NEGOTIATIONS, WHO USED TO TAKE PART AS REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
BRITISH TEAM.
REMARKS BY OTHER CHINESE OFFICIALS.
THE CHINESE PREMIER LI PENG, AT A MEETING WITH HK AND MACAU DEPUTIES TO THE NPC AND THE CPPCC, SPECIFIED (18.3) THE PRINCIPLES THE CHINESE WOULD NEVER BARTER AWAY: CHINA WOULD RESUME SOVEREIGNTY OVER HK IN 1997: SINO-BRITISH CO-OPERATION WAS NEEDED FOR A SMOOTH TRANSFER AND THE ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS'' CONCEPT WOULD BE IMPLEMENTED. ON THE QUESTION OF SETTING UP A SECOND KITCHEN. MR LI SAID THIS WAS A BIG ISSUE WHICH REQUIRED WIDE CONSULTATION TO SOLICIT WIDE PUBLIC SUPPORT.
REMARKS BY HKMAO'S VICE DIRECTOR CHEN ZIYING DURING A MEETING WITH HK DELEGATES TO THE CPPCC WERE NOTED. (18.3) MR CHEN WAS QUOTED AS ACCUSING THE GOVERNOR FOR USING THE ISSUE OF HK OFFICIALS' PARTICIPATION IN TALKS AS CAMOUFLAGE OF THE FACT THAT THE HAD DESTROYED THE BASIS FOR TALKS. THE PAPERS NOTED THAT A VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE PRC'S CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISSION, ZHANG ZHEN, HAD PLEDGED SUPPORT FOR CHINA'S STANCE ON THE HK ISSUE.
11. THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN QICHEN SAID DURING A NPC DELEGATION GROUP MEETING (19.3) INTERNATIONALLY THERE WERE FORCES WHO WANTED TO MAKE USE OF PROBLEMS LIKE HUMAN RIGHTS IN TIBET, TAIWAN AND HK TO CREATE PROBLEMS IN CHINA. WHAT THE BRITISH SIDE WANTED TO ACHIEVE WAS TO CHANGE THE HK SYSTEM INTO A LEGISLATIVE- LED ONE AND TURN HK INTO A SEMI-INDEPENDENT ENTITY. THE AIM WAS TO CONTINUE THEIR INFLUENCE IN HK AFTER 1997 AND TO TEST CHINA'S DETERMINATION ON THIS PROBLEM. MR QIAN SAID THE BRITISH SIDE HAD CALCULATED WRONGLY THAT CHINA DEPENDED ON HK. ACTUALLY, IF HK WANTED TO MAINTAIN PROSPEROUS AND STABLE, IT WOULD NEED TO RELY ON CHINA. CHINA HAD THE ABILITY AND DETERMINATION TO MAINTAIN HK'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY.
12. ZHOU NAN (19.3) DURING A NPC DISCUSSION IN PEKING AGAIN CRITICISED THE GOVERNOR AND THE BRITISH SIDE FOR DESTROYING THE BASIS FOR TALKS. MR ZHOU ACCUSED THE BRITISH SIDE FOR CREATING CHAOS UNDER THE DISGUISE OF DEMOCRACY IN ORDER TO POSE OBSTACLES FOR CHINA'S RESUMPTION OF SOVEREIGNTY AND CHANGE HK INTO A SEMI-
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