muet abandon his plan for
democrAT DE
Governæė Chris reform o- risk
ig into question the most bazie Sino-br. pacts governing, the 1997 handover of the territory.
The issue facing the British side is now whether the
aoreement re Sino-British Joint Declaration and the other
cling Forsign Hi between Ehe two sides are still needed.
weekly news briefing.. spokesman Li Jianying told a
Li's statement was Beijing'e strongest hint yet that it) consider reviewing Chine's entire arrangement with London ove Hong Kong unless Bakken drops his democratic reform packaget
In Hong Kong, as China's relentless assault on Patten pounded local business confidence, ekacie clunged on. Thursday their biggest points loss on the Hang Seng Index since the 19 Beiiing massacre of pro-democracy protesters,
The Sino-British Joint Declaration e2 1994 established 1. 1997, as the date when China would tale control of the col and bound Beijing to respect Hong Kong's capitalist way of lif for at least 50 years after the handover.
Li. deputy director of the Foreign Ministry's information department, said Pattan's political moves had forced China te reconsider a number of issues about Hona Hong.
Whether the political system in Hong Kong should conver with the Basic Law, and whether a smooth transition is needed All these are matters of principle,
what it has made in eva He repea
Crina's demand, stronger terms, that Patten and his backers in London give up their plans to introduce greater- democracy in Hong Kong.
The only way to solve the problem now is for the British Hong Kong authorities to return to agreemente peached betwcent China and Britain. he
03-0934 CHINA-HONGKONG 15TLD 2 BEIJING
I
Pattan's constitutional reform package, which involvæg making the territory's legislature more representative of local voters when elections are held in 1999, has drawn increasingly sharp threats from China's communist ladders,
In its furious denunciations of the reform plan, Berling has shown it has no intention of allowing a democratic cutpost to emerge on its southern coast.
Ch
Crt Monday, China upped the stakes dramatically when it sai it might tear up contracts it did not like after taking contre in 1997 a move which could pull the rug from under a number of Hong Kong's ambitious multi-billion-dollar infrastructuré
عالم جديد
Despite their own massive bumimamo interests in Hong Kong, China's leaders appear willing to sacritice economic returns to make their political point.
Li on Thursday again brushed off charges that Beijing waS causing economic turmoil in the territory, saying the blame lay equarely with Patten and the British govermente
The responsibility for the large stump in the Hong Kong! stock market does not lie with the Chinese side, and we didn't want to see this, Li said.
9 4
We sincerely hope that the British side will set store by the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong."
**
Li offered one small ray of hope on Thursday, saying China still intended to participate next week in a meeting of the Sino-British Joint Liaison Broup, where the two sides discuss policies toward the territory in the run-up to 1997.
He indicated, however, that China would use the December 8-10 meeting to sharpen its demand that Patten climb down,
The Sino-British Joint Liaison Broup is yet to be held, and we hope it will achieve positive rate, Li said, quickly addings and we hope the British Hong Kong authorities will abandair their plans for constitutional reform.
REUTER AG DAS GD MS
**