Foreign & Commonwealth
Office
25 February 1993
Mr PRC Gray
HM Treasury Parliament Street LONDON
SW1P 3AG
MWF 30/3
London SWIA 2AH
phone: 071-
TRY
FEB 1893
Dear Mr Gray,
HONG KONG WEEKLY PRESS COVERAGE
Please find enclosed telno 306 from Hong Kong: Press Coverage (20.2.93-25.2.93).
1.
Yours sincerely
annadèle Bouch
Annadele Bouch
Hong Kong Department
CC: Mr P M McIntyre, HM Treasury
Mr C D Elston, Bank of England
Mr D Hall, DTI/OT1
Mr D Love, DTI/OT2
weekly.ADMIN.JRB
Pls PA
10
UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
AB
UNCLASSIFIED
012367 MDLIAN 6502
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 306
OF 251037Z FEBRUARY 93
INFO ROUTINE HKGO LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
INFO ROUTINE HKGO WASHINGTON, HKGO NEW YORK, HKGO SAN FRANCISCO INFO ROUTINE HKGO GENEVA, UKMIS GENEVA
HONG KONG FUTURE: PRESS COVERAGE: (20.2 - 25.2)
SUMMARY
•
SPECULATION CONTINUED ON THE POSSIBLE RESUMPTION OF SINO- BRITISH TALKS ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS.
RESUMPTION OF SINO-BRITISH TALKS
2. MING PAO (20.2) QUOTING A SOURCE CLOSE TO TOP BRITISH OFFICIALS, REPORTED A MINISTERIAL LEVEL MEETING ON A OVERALL REVIEW OF SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS AND THE HK SITUATION CALLED BY THE FOREIGN SECRETARY WAS HELD ON 17 FEBRUARY. SING TAO DAILY SAID THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD LIKELY DELAY RESPONDING TO WHETHER THERE WOULD BE RESUMPTION OF TALKS UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF NEXT MONTH. THE HK AFFAIRS ADVISER, TSUI TSIN TONG, WAS QUOTED AS SAYING IN PEKING THAT AT A MEETING WITH LI PENG, MR LI REITERATED THE CHINESE STAND HAD NOT SOFTENED. MR TSUI SAID HE UNDERSTOOD FROM HIS CONTACTS WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS THAT CHINA WOULD ONLY RESUME CO-OPERATION WITH BRITIAN IF THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD GIVE UP THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS. A SIGNED COMMENTARY IN THE PEOPLE'S DAILY STRONGLY CRITICISED THE GOVERNOR'S PACKAGE. THE ARTICLE SAID THE RETURN OF HK WAS A HOLY TASK FOR THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE AND ALLEGED THE HK BRITISH AUTHORITIES HAD ATTEMPTED TO OBSTRUCT THE UNIFICATION OF CHINA. THE BRITISH HKG SHOULD WITHDRAW ITS PROPOSALS AND THE CHINESE PEOPLE WOULD NOT CONCEDE ON THIS QUESTION OF PRINCIPLE.
3.
QUOTING PEKING SOURCES, MING PAO SAID (22.2) BOTH SIDES WERE EXPECTED TO MAKE A DECISION THIS WEEK RELATING TO THE RESUMPTION OF TALKS. SHOULD DISCUSSIONS RESUME, HKG OFFICIALS WOULD NOT BE EXCLUDED. THE REPORT SAID THE MAIN CHINESE CONSIDERATIONS WERE TO ASCERTAIN THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD NOT MAKE THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS THE BASIS FOR DISCUSSION AND THE BRITISH HKG SHOULD NOT LET LEGCO BECOME ANOTHER LEG' WHICH COULD DISREGARD THE RESULTS OF THE DISCUSSIONS AND GO ITS OWN WAY ON THE GOVERNOR'S