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FM FCO
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TELNO 1
OF 041613Z JAN 93
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
PEKINGS
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UKREP JLG
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contenuaties
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RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
5 TAN 1993
DESK OFFICER
YOUR TELNO 10: LU PING'S INTERVIEW ON CONSTITUTSIYAL PA DEVELOPMENT
1.
REGISTRY
Action Taken
THANK YOU FOR THIS SUMMARY. THE TRANSCRIPT WE RECEIVED INCOMPLETE (IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF YOU COULD LET US HAVE A COMPLETE AND LEGIBLE VERSION). BUT ON THE BASIS OF WHAT WE HAVE SEEN, THIS APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN AN IMPORTANT AND CAREFULLY JUDGED EFFORT BY LU PING TO PUT PUBLICLY ON RECORD IN HONG KONG THE CHINESE LINE AS WE HAVE SEEN IT EMERGE PARTICULARLY IN THE DAB'S TALKS IN PEKING.
2.
THE
THE POINTS WHICH SEEMED TO US PARTICULARLY WORTH NOTING IN INTERVIEW WERE AS FOLLOWS:
LU PING'S TRANSPARENT EFFORTS TO SOUND FRIENDLY TOWARDS HONG KONG PEOPLE WHILE MAINTAINING A HARSH LINE TOWARDS YOU AND
HMG.
THE OBSESSIVE WAY IN WHICH LU PING KEEPS RETURNING TO THE EXCHANGES OF LETTERS IN 1990 AND OUR 'DIPLOMATIC FRAUD' IN NOT TAKING ACCOUNT OF THEM. THIS CLEARLY CONTINUES TO RANKLE DEEPLY.
LU PING'S CLEAR DEFINITION OF THE PURPOSE OF A 'SEPARATE STOVE': IE THAT ITS TASK WOULD BE TO ADVISE ON THE METHOD OF SETTING UP THE FIRST GOVERNMENT AND THE FIRST LEGISLATURE FOR 1997 IN THE CASE OF NON-CONVERGENCE: THAT (AS YOUR TUR INDICATED) THIS WOULD NOT BE THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE STIPULATED IN THE BASIC LAW: THAT IT COULD NOT BECOME A SECOND POWER CENTRE BEFORE 1997.
AND
ON YOUR ELECTORAL PROPOSALS, THE FACT THAT LU PING CAME CLOSE TO ENCOURAGING HONG KONG PEOPLE TO PUT FORWARD ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS (IT WAS ALSO INTERESTING THAT HE WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO REASSURE PEOPLE THAT THE CPG WOULD
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