RESTRICTED
10
CPPCC: The SCMP leader on 22 May, headed "Red carpet for local entrepreneurs", was about the election of local people to the CPPCC, and made the point that what was more impressive was not the names of those who had agreed to be elected but the names of those who had politely declined. In fact the casualty rate appeared to have been quite heavy and some of the 46 people who said "yes" were second or third choice. No doubt some of the new local CPPCC members genuinely believed their seat on the consultative committee would enable them to exchange views and opinions and to contribute to HK's well-being, particularly in regard to the 1997 issue. They saw their appointments as a boost for confidence in the long-term stability of the territory, but HK's 2.35 pc of members were unlikely to get too many opportunities to hold the floor and this probably reflected the importance Beijing attached to seeing our side of the 1997 picture. The leader suggested that, as most of the locals were businessmen and they had much to gain by accepting the invitation, they doubtless looked forward to getting a first hand view of what Beijing had in mind for HK so they could use it when planning for their business future.
Police told not to speculate: The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Peter Moor, told a recruit passing out parade that Police officers should not allow themselves to become embroiled in speculation about the outcome of talks on HK's future.
Lo Chenxun: The International Herald-Tribune on 17 May carried an item about
the jailing of Mr. Lo Chenxun for 10 years for spying for the US and said he was one of several Chinese or HK journalists and officials who had informal license from the Chinese
Government to maintain contacts and exchanges with foreigners in HK.
No difference in Parties' attitude towards HK: A senior Government official said
HK should be relieved that both the Conservative and Labour parties were saying the same thing about its future.
Chinese Ambassador to London: The new Chinese Ambassador to Britain, Mr. Chen Zhaoyuan, said Beijing's policy on the future of HK had been made very clear and China and Britain should look ahead to the future development of Sino-British relations.
Ming Pao editorial: The SCMP carried a front-page article on 17 May saying Ming Pao had published an editorial lashing out at people who speculated on the talks over HK's future; it also noted that the Government had criticised Ming Pao's sister paper, Ming Pao Evening News, for an inaccurate representation of the state of talks or the British position. Ming Pao's editorial on Saturday condemned what it called trial balloons; what made people angry were rumours, wrong information and irresponsible words devised to deceive people. It claimed many trial balloons were flown by people who claimed to be informed or who wanted their names to be among those HK people who would govern
HK in the future.
RESTRICTED
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.