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OTHER ITEMS:
Kuk men to visit Beijing: The chairman of the Heung Yee Kuk, Mr. Lau Wong-fat, together with three predecessors, Mr. Stephen Wong, Mr. Chan Yat Sun and Mr. Cheung Yan- lung, will leave for Beijing for a visit either on 9th or 10th January. The delegation would reportedly not travel under the name of the Heung Yee Kuk because of opposition from some pro-Taiwan members, according to the Sing Pao. The visit was being arranged by the HK office of Xinhua News Agency, including a call on Mr. Liao Chengzhi.
UK has upper hand: The Oriental Daily News quoted a Liverpool Daily Post report that the British negotiating team had the upper hand in the Sino-British talks as a result of China using the wrong strategy by making its stand known through official channels. It said the plunge in share and property prices in HK as a result of China's babbling had forced Beijing, which wanted to maintain HK's prosperity, to change its stance. A satisfactory settlement of the HK issue would have a bearing on China's efforts to reunify with Taiwan. The paper said Britain would hold fast to its stand because failure to adhere to the international treaties would have serious repercussions on Britain's efforts to resolve the Falklands and Gibraltar questions.
Little understanding: An American political science lecturer, Dr. David Lambton. who has just returned from a visit to China, said in a radio interview that while China was categorically clear on its sovereignty claim, many Chinese officials had very little understanding of the importance of maintaining confidence in HK and the need to handle the currency problem after China recovered HK.
Trevor Bedford speaks on 1997: The managing director of HK Land, Mr. Trevor Bedford, said what was going on in the money, share and property markets had been ascribed too much to the question of 1997. He said the recession in various sectors was mainly brought about by economic factors and he believed that the local currency, shares and property would have been worth about the same as they were now even without the HK issue. He emphasised that, the less said by people about 1997, the more certain we would be able to stop speculation. Ill-informed gossip and statements did not help the situation at all.
he said.
Macao Governor misquoted: The SCMP of December 27 carried a report which said errors in the translation of an interview with the Governor of Macao had alarmed local residents. The Governor was quoted saying that China and Portugal were seeking a method to discuss and settle the future of Macao, prompting rumours that the territory's status was likely to change and that Macao, like HK, would become embroiled in top-level talks with China over its future. Later a new translation of the Governor's remarks was put out saying China
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