UNCLASSIFIED
140434
MDLIAN 2307
ARTICLE SAID IF SUCH PROPOSALS WERE IMPLEMENTED, THE HK PEOPLE WOULD BE SERIOUSLY SPLIT, AND THE INVESTMENT ENVIRONMENT AND HK'S SMOOTH TRANSITION WOULD BE DESTROYED AND HK PEOPLE'S INTERESTS WOULD BE IMPAIRED. THE ARTICLE ALSO CRITICISED THE GOVERNMENT FOR SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS TO LEGCO. THE ARTICLE SAID UNDER THE BRITISH HK RULE, LEGCO WAS ONLY AN ADVISORY BODY AND HAD NO AUTHORITY TO PASS ANY MOTION TO OVERTURN AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA NOR TO CHANGE THE BL.
BY
AN ARTICLE IN THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF THE 'MIRROR MAGAZINE' ALLEGED THE ULTIMATE AIMS OF THE GOVERNOR'S POLITICAL PACKAGE WERE TO HAVE A CHIEF EXECUTIVE IN 1997 TO BE RETURNED A DIRECTLY ELECTED ELECTION COMMITTEE AND TO REPLACE ALL FUNCTIONAL ELECTIONS BY DIRECT ELECTIONS IN 1999. THE ARTICLE OBSERVED THAT IN 1999, THE SARG WOULD BE FORCED BY CIRCUMSTANCES TO APPLY THE SAME ELECTORAL PROCEDURES OF THE 9 FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES TO THE OTHER 21. SHOULD THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND THE 60 SEATS HAVE THE EFFECT OF BEING DIRECTLY ELECTED AND THESE CHANGES BE ACHIEVED IN 1997 OR 1999, THIS WOULD MEAN IN ESSENCE THE BL HAD BEEN CHANGED. CHINA WOULD ONLY IN NAME RESUME EXERCISING SOVEREIGNTY IN HK IN 1997. IN PRACTICE THE GOVERNMENT ARRANGED BY THE BRITISH BEFORE 1997 WOULD CONTINUE AFTER 1997 VIA PRO-BRITISH PEOPLE GOVERNING HK. THE ARTICLE ALLEGED THE GOVERNOR THOUGHT HE COULD CREATE A POLITICAL ENTITY WHICH CONFRONTED CHINA AND REPRESENTED BRITISH INTERESTS ECONOMICALLY PRIOR TO THE BL COMING INTO EFFECT AND AFTER 1997, THIS WOULD BECOME A ''SEMI- INDEPENDENT' HK. THE ARTICLE ALSO CRITICISED THE SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS TO LEGCO FOR DECISION. THIS IN EFFECT, THE ARTICLE CLAIMED, WAS CREATING A NEW BOTTLE WITH OLD WINE AND THE ''THREE LEGGED STOOL' SITUATION. THIS WAS A DEVICE BY THE GOVERNOR TO FORCE CHINA TO ACCEPT A FAIT ACCOMPLI AND LEGCO MEMBERS SHOULD NOT FALL INTO THE TRAP. IF THE PRECEDENT WAS SET, IT WOULD BECOME LEGCO RULING HK AND THAT ON TRANSFER OF SOVEREIGNTY, IT WOULD NOT BE CHINA BUT PRO-BRITISH ELEMENTS IN THE LEGCO WHICH WOULD TAKE OVER. IN ANOTHER ARTICLE IN THE ''MIRROR'', DENG XIOPING'S REMARKS ON THE CURRENT DISPUTE WERE NOTED. MR DENG SAID ON THE QUESTION OF SOVEREIGNTY AND PRINCIPLES, CHINA WOULD NOT GIVE WAY EVEN AN INCH. EVEN IF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT INSISTED ON CONFRONTATION AND PLAYING THE INTERNATIONAL CARD AND UNILATERALLY FOREGO THE JD, IT WAS NO BIG DEAL. CHINA WOULD CONSISTENTLY IMPLEMENT THE BL AND ''ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS''.
8. PAPERS NOTED (4.2) THE APPL HAD DISCUSSED THEIR COUNTER PROPOSALS TO THE GOVERNOR'S PACKAGE WITH THE CRC. THE TWO GROUPS
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