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066065
MDLIAN 0931
THE GOVERNOR'S DECISION TO GAZETTE THE REFORM BILL AND CLAIMED IT WAS A SEVERE BLOW TO SINO-BRITISH CO-OPERATION. THE NCNA IN PEKING ISSUED A SIGNED COMMENTARY SAYING THE BRITISH SIDE WAS PLAYING THE ''THREE LEGGED STOOL' TRICK AND ADDED PRESSURE ON THE CHINESE SIDE BY THREATENING TO PUBLISH THE REFORM BILL. THE COMMENTARY ACCUSED THE BRITISH SIDE, IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THEIR SECRET MOTIVES, HAD ON THE SURFACE AGREED TO TALKS BUT IN REALITY TOOK ACTION TO SABOTAGE THE TALKS. WEN WEI PO REPORTED THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE CPPCC JIANG ZEMIN, WHEN COMMENTING ON THE HK/MACAU ISSUES, SAID CHINA WOULD NOT GIVE WAY ON MATTERS OF PRINCIPLE AND WOULD STICK TO THE PRINCIPLE OF ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS TO RESOLVE PROBLEMS.
LI PENG'S WORK REPORT TO THE NPC ON HK
11. THE MEDIA ACCORDED EXTENSIVE COVERAGE (16.3) TO A SECTION OF THE WORK REPORT DELIVERED BY THE CHINESE PREMIER LI PENG TO THE NPC WHICH STRONGLY CRITICISED THE GOVERNOR'S CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE. MR LI ACCUSED THE GOVERNOR OF CREATING CONFUSION AND OBSTACLES TO A SMOOTH TRANSITION. NOW THAT THE BRITISH SIDE HAD CREATED OBSTACLES FOR CO-OPERATION, THEY SHOULD BE HELD TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. (MANY PAPERS NOTED THE PREVIOUS SENTENCE HAD REPLACED A LESS CONFRONTATIONAL VERSION FOUND IN THE ORIGINAL DRAFT REPORTED EARLIER IN THE PRESS, SAYING THE ONLY WAY OUT FOR THE BRITISH WAS TO CHANGE TRACK AND RETURN TO THAT OF DOCUMENT SIGNED AND UNDERSTANDING REACHED BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES). SOME PAPERS NOTED THE WORK REPORT'S ATTACK AGAINST THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WAS THE STRONGEST SINCE THE SIGNING OF THE JD IN 1984. IT WAS ALSO NOTED MR LI WAS INTERRUPTED BY APPLAUSE FOUR TIMES FROM THE FLOOR WHEN HE DELIVERED THE PASSAGE ON HK.
12.
QUOTING AUTHORITATIVE SOURCES IN PEKING WEN WEI PO REPORTED (16.3) THE LAST MINUTE AMENDMENTS TO THE WORK REPORT HAD INDICATED THAT SINO-BRITISH CO-OPERATION ON HK WAS ON THE VERGE OF BREAKING. THE SOURCES REVEALED RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS IN PEKING WERE HAVING CONFIDENTIAL MEETINGS. THE CONTENTS WOULD NOT FOCUS ON TALKS WITH THE BRITISH SIDE BUT WOULD BE ON THE CHINESE SIDE TAKING CONCRETE AND EFFECTIVE ACTIONS TO ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION IN HK.
13. ZHOU NAN SAID (16.3) HE FULLY SUPPORTED THE CHINESE STANCE ON THE HK QUESTION AS DELIVERED BY PREMIER LI PENG IN HIS WORK REPORT TO THE NPC. MR ZHOU SAID THE APPLAUSE REFLECTED THE STRONG WILL OF THE PEOPLE IN CHINA. NOTHING COULD STOP HK FROM GOING BACK TO CHINA IN 1997. VICE DIRECTOR QIN WENJUN REITERATED
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