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066065
MDLIAN 931
COMMUNITY WOULD NOW KNOW THE GOVERNMENT'S STAND. GAZETTAL AND INTRODUCTION TO LEGCO COULD PROCEED IN PARALLEL WITH TALKS. TAM YIU-CHUNG (DAB) SAID THE DECISION WAS UNWISE, IMPATIENT AND RASH WHEN TALKS WERE STILL GOING ON. IT WOULD HAVE NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON THE RESUMPTION OF TALKS. FREDERICK FUNG (ADPL) SAID THE DECISION WAS ANOTHER TACTIC TO FORCE CHINA TO RESUME TALKS. DAVID LI (INDEPENDENT) SAID THE GOVERNOR HAD THE RESPONSIBILITY TO LET HK PEOPLE KNOW OF HIS THINKING, AND THE DECISION WOULD NOT HAVE A GREAT IMPACT ON THE STOCK MARKET AS THE ECONOMY WAS STILL STRONG. CHRISTINE LOH FULLY SUPPORTED THE GOVERNOR AND SAID THE PEOPLE OF HK NOW KNEW THAT UK'S POSITION WAS FIRM. ANDREW WONG AGREED WITH THE GOVERNOR'S DECISION, WHILE SAMUEL WONG SAID THE HIGH PROFILE ADOPTED BY THE GOVERNOR WOULD ANTAGONISE THE CHINESE.
QUOTING SOURCES, MING PAO (14.3) SAID PEKING AUTHORITIES BRIEFED SOME SENIOR CADRES ON THE LATEST SITUATION IN HK AND CIRCULATED A FIVE-POINT DIRECTIVE WHICH INCLUDED: (I) HK OFFICIALS SHOULD NOT BE PERMITTED TO TAKE PART IN SINO-BRITISH NEGOTIATIONS AS MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH TEAM: THEY COULD ONLY BE ADVISERS OR ASSISTANTS, (II) CHINA WOULD SHORTLY CONTACT THE BRITISH SIDE TO SHOW THEIR GREATEST SINCERITY, (III) IF THE GOVERNOR'S PACKAGE WAS PASSED BY LEGCO CHINA WOULD NOT RECOGNISE IT, (IV) CHINA WOULD ANNOUNCE THE SETTING UP OF ''ANOTHER STOVE'' INCLUDING ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT AT AN APPROPRIATE TIME AND (V) EVEN IF ''ANOTHER STOVE'' WAS SET UP, CHINA WOULD MAKE CLEAR THE ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS'' PRINCIPLE WOULD REMAIN UNCHANGED. SING TAO DAILY REPORTED THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY, HKMAO AND NCNA HK BRANCH HELD MEETINGS TO DISCUSS STRATEGIES WHICH INCLUDED OPEN CRITICISMS OF THE GOVERNOR'S ACTIONS AT THE NPC SESSIONS AND CONCRETE PROPOSALS RELATING TO THE SETTING UP OF ''ANOTHER STOVE". THE SOURCE SAID THESE PROPOSALS WOULD HAVE TO BE ENDORSED BY THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN QICHEN PRIOR TO SUBMITTING THEM TO THE HIGHEST DECISION-MAKING ORGAN.
10. HKMAO CHEN ZIYING SAID (15.3) IN PEKING THE GOVERNOR'S ACTION HAD INDICATED THE BRITISH SIDE HAD NO SINCERITY FOR CO- OPERATION. WHETHER THE BASIS FOR CO-OPERATION STILL EXISTED WOULD DEPEND ON DEVELOPMENTS IN HK. QIN WENJUN OF NCNA HK SAID RESUMPTION OF TALKS WOULD DEPEND ON WHETHER THE GOVERNOR WAS SINCERE AND POINTED OUT THE BASIS FOR CO-OPERATION HAD BEEN DAMAGED. A SPOKESMAN FOR THE NPC, ZHOU JUE, SAID THE NPC SUPPORTED THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY'S STATEMENT. A SIGNED COMMENTARY IN THE PEOPLE'S DAILY EXPRESSED SHOCK AND REGRET ON
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