UNCLASSIFIED
6460
MDLIA 2583
(1) MOBILISE PUBLIC OPINION AMONG NPC/CPPCC DELEGATES, THE PRO- CHINA MEDIA AND LEFT-WING TRADE UNIONS: (2) ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT, THREATS WOULD BE MADE TO BRITISH CONSORTIA WITH BUSINESS INTERESTS IN CHINA SO THEY WOULD BE FORCED TO DEMAND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO REPLACE THE GOVERNOR AND (3) ON THE LAND COMMISSION, THE CHINESE SIDE HAD NO INTENTION TO INDEFINITELY POSTPONE MEETINGS IN THE LAND COMMISSION BUT IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, WOULD ADHERE TO THE JD STRICTLY AND ANNUAL LAND GRANT WOULD NOT EXCEED THE 50 HECTARES LIMIT. THIS WOULD PREVENT THE BRITISH SIDE FROM PROCEEDING WITH THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECT ON THEIR OWN AND POSE OBSTACLES TO THE HOUSING AND SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMMES PROPOSED BY THE GOVERNOR. IT HAS ALSO BEEN PROPOSED CHINA SHOULD SCRUTINISE ALL MAJOR LEGISLATION PASSED AFTER THE JD INCLUDING THE BOR AND THE BRITISH NATIONALITY SCHEME AND THOSE FOUND INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE BL SHOULD BE ABROGATED. SOURCES SAID THE FIRST AND SECOND BATCHES OF HK AFFAIRS ADVISERS WOULD BECOME CORE MEMBERS OF THE SAR PREPARATORY COMMITTEE AND THE PROPOSED ''ADVISORY BODY''.
20. THE PAPERS WIDELY QUOTED (22.3) LU PING AS SAYING TALKS WOULD DEFINITELY NOT BE POSSIBLE IF THE HKG PUT THE BILL TO LEGCO. WEN WEI PO QUOTED A SENIOR HKMAO OFFICIAL AS SAYING THAT TABLING THE BILL IN LEGCO WAS TANTAMOUNT TO CUTTING OFF THE ''THROUGH TRAIN'' COMPLETELY. IT WOULD ALSO BE AN INDICATION THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD ALLOWED THE GOVERNOR TO CONFRONT CHINA UNTIL THE END. THE HKG WOULD THEN NOT ONLY BECOME A ''LAME DUCK'' BUT A DUCK WITH NO LEGS'.
21.
THE PAPERS NOTED THAT GUANGDONG GOVERNOR ZHU SENLIN SAID (22.3) CHINA WOULD CONTINUE TO WELCOME INVESTMENTS BY BRITISH ENTERPRISES WITH A FRIENDLY ATTITUDE BUT THOSE WHO WERE UNFRIENDLY, SUCH AS JARDINES, CHINA WOULD NOT WELCOME THEM. GUANGZHOU MAYOR LI ZILIU HOWEVER SAID SHOULD SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS DETERIORATE IT WOULD AFFECT THE PARTICIPATION OF BRITISH CONSORTIA IN GUANGZHOU'S MTR WORKS. MING PAO CARRIED AN INTERVIEW WITH CPPCC VICE CHAIRMAN YE XUANPING. MR YE SAID THE CURRENT DISPUTE WOULD NOT AFFECT INVESTMENTS BY HK PEOPLE IN CHINA.
22. SEVERAL PAPERS CARRIED (22.3) A HK CNA DESPATCH WHICH SAID THE GAZETTAL HAD FURTHER DETERIORATED SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS AND CAST A SHADOW OVER THE CONTINUED STABILITY IN HK AND THE SMOOTH CONVERGENCE OF SOVEREIGNTY IN 1997. THE ARTICLE SAID IT WAS TIME THE BRITISH SIDE SHOULD GO BACK TO THE PRINCIPLE OF ''THREE
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