UNCLASSIFIED
106460
MDLIAN 2583
CONFROMITIES'
23.
AND AIM TO IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH CHINA.
THE POST (22.3) QUOTING A SOURCE, NOTED THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAD PREPARED FOR THE WORSE AND WOULD FIGHT TO THE END. VARIOUS SOURCES SAID PEKING WOULD EITHER WITHDRAW ITS BACKING OR REFRAIN FROM ENDORSING FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE NEW AIRPORT, AND THE WORK OF THE LAND COMMISSION WOULD ALSO BE THROWN INTO DISARRAY. THE SOURCE SAID THAT EVEN IF THERE WERE TALKS, PEKING CONSIDERED IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE GOVERNOR WHO COULD ''NO LONGER BE TRUSTED''. MING PAO (23.3) QUOTED A CHINESE OFFICIAL (WHO DID NOT WANT TO BE NAMED) AS SAYING IF THE GOVERNOR DID NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE WAY HE HANDLED HK'S POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT, IT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE FOR THE LAND COMMISSION, JLG AND AIRPORT COMMITTEE TO HOLD MEETINGS IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
GOVERNOR
■
24. THE GOVERNOR'S INTERVIEW WITH ATV WAS PICKED UP BY MANY PAPERS (19.3). THE GOVERNOR SAID HE WAS IMPLEMENTING THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S POLICY ON HK WHICH HE BELIEVED WAS IN THE INTERESTS OF THE HK PEOPLE. THE GOVERNOR STRESSED IT WAS UNACCEPTABLE THAT HKG OFFICIALS SHOULD BE EXCLUDED FROM THE TALKS. ON WHEN THE REFORM BILL WOULD BE TABLED TO LEGCO, HE SAID IT WOULD DEPEND ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF EVENTS AND EXCO'S VIEWS. THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD CONTINUE ITS ADMINISTRATION OVER HK UNTIL 1997 AND WOULD ENSURE THE LAST ELECTIONS UNDER BRITISH RULE WOULD BE OPEN, FAIR AND ACCEPTABLE TO THE HK PEOPLE. MING PAO (20.3) CARRIED AN INTERVIEW WITH THE GOVERNOR. THE GOVERNOR SAID ALTHOUGH THERE WAS DISPUTE BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN OVER HK'S POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT HE DID NOT BELIEVE THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD CREATE DIFFICULTIES ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT BECAUSE IN THE END IT WOULD BE HK PEOPLE WHO WOULD SUFFER. THE CHINESE OFFICIALS HAD ON DIFFERENT OCCASIONS STRESSED THEY WANTED CO-OPERATION AND THEY WOULD NOT DAMAGE HK PEOPLE'S INTERESTS.
SETTING UP OF A PREPARATORY COMMITTEE
25. THE PAPERS PROMINENTLY REPORTED (17.3) LI WEI TING, AN ASSISTANT TO NCNA HK DIRECTOR ZHOU NAN AND CONVENOR OF THE NPC HK AND MACAU GROUP, PROPOSED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE ON THE PREPARATION FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SAR. MR LI SUGGESTED THE COMMITTEE SHOULD EXAMINE TRANSITION RELATED ISSUES ON THE POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND LEGAL SYSTEMS. THE COMMITTEE SHOULD COMPRISE PEOPLE PATRIOTIC TOWARDS CHINA AND HK AND THE WAY OF APPOINTMENT COULD BE MODELLED
3
PAGE UNCLASSIFIED