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Commenting on the SRI International report, the executive director of the HK General Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Jimmy McGregor, said self-administration would be harmful to HK; the report seemed to suggest that British control would end, and it was not clear who should be responsible for HK. Mr. McGregor said his personal view of self-administration was the same as that of the recent delegation to China -- it would upset HK's prosperity and stability. It would not be a successful economic formulat for HK.
Mr. Xu Jiatun: In its Commentary and Analysis feature, the Asian Wall Street Journal of May 27-28 dealt with the appointment of Mr. Xu Jiatun as director of the HK branch of Xinhua, saying he would play an important role in shaping the future of HK after 1997; his appointment reflected the enormous importance China attached to HK.
Mr. Chan Man-kou: The SCMP Business News "Newsmaker" column on May 28 featured Mr. Chan Man-kou, an accountant, who was recently appointed to the National Committee of the CPPCC. He said he expected that HK could be one of the issues that he and the others would be asked to give their views about, but he really would not like to advise China on how to deal with the matter. On the issue of sovereignty, he said it was common sense that HK belonged to China.
Comment on China's leaders: The 'Other Opinion' column in the International Herald-Tribune on May 26 picked up an item in the Neue Zurcher Zeitung (Zurich) about the new generation of leaders in China which said they did not yet have the experience, authority or range of vision of the old guard, and no new Chou En-lai or Deng Xiaoping had yet emerged.
Jitters to continue: An editorial on the economy in the SCMP on May 26 said HK's state of political jitters could continue until after the British general election next month and the NPC in Beijing even though, officially, the atmosphere in Beijing, where Sino-British contacts were in progress, had been described as "good".
HK has people for self-government: The Standard on May 27 quoted a senior Government official who declined to be named as saying HK had the administrative expertise for self-government, but he said the definition of the so-called "HK people ruling HK" ruling was unclear.
Mr. Wang Kuang confident: The departing first director of Xinhua, Mr. Wang Kuang, said he had every confidence in HK's future; HK was well endowed, well located, was blessed with geography, had a good transportation system and vast human and financial resources. Left-wing sources said Mr. Wang would in future be involved in HK and Macau affairs.
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