TNAG-1438-FCO40-1922-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 106

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3. ASKED FOR HIS COMMENTS ON SIP S.Y.'S STATEMENT THAT

PEPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT WAS AN IPORTANT PART OF THE JOINT

DECLARATION, XU JIATUN SAID TO REPOPTEPS: THIS WAS HIS VIEW AND WE SHOULD PESPECT IT. PUT PESPECT IS NOT EQUIVALENT TO RECOGNITION.'' HE ALSO SAID THAT HE WOULD ACCEPT AN INVITATION

BY SIR S.Y. FOP A MEAL, AND THAT HE HAD FREQUENT EXCHANGES OF VIWS

WITH SIP S.Y, AND FRIENDS.

4. HOWEVER, SOME PAPERS (INCLUDING SING TAO JIH PAO) USING HEADLINES INTERPRETED XU'S REMARKS AS MEANING THAT CHINA DID

NOT RECOGNISE UMELCO'S STATUS. THE LEADING LEFT WING PAPERS (VEN WEI PO AND TA, KUNG PAO), ON THE OTHER HAND, REPORTED THE STORY IN POSITIVE LIGHT, AND SAID IN PROMINENT HEADLINES THAT XU HOPED THEPE WOULD BE MOPE EXCHANGES OF VIEWS AND COOPERATION BETWEEN NCNA AND UMELCO. POTH PAPERS PUBLISHED THE FULL TEXT OF SIP S.Y.'S SPEECH. OTHEP NEWSPAPER REPORTS ADDED THE FOLLOWING

POINTS:

(A)OPIENTAL DAILY : SIR S.Y.'S REMARKS VOICED UMELCO'S WISH TO COOPERATE WITH THE CHINESE SIDE. DP. CHIU HIN-KWONG (ELECTED LEGCO MEMBER) SAID SIR S.Y. HAD MADE IT CLEAR THAT IT WAS NOT HELPFUL TO IGNORE THE EXISTENCE OF UMELCO.

(3) HK DAILY NEWS: MARTIN LEE SAID THAT THE QUESTION OF UMELCO DE ING SHUBBED BY THE CHINESE SIDE HAD BEEN DISCUSSED AT UMELCO IN-HOUSE MEETINGS: HE DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHY CHINA AND NCMA

STILL DID NOT RECOGNISE THE STATUS OF EXCO AND LEGCO. TAM Y!U- CYNG (ELECTED LEGCO MEMBEP) SAID THAT JUDGING FROM XU'S REMAPKS, NCMA DID RECOGNISE UMELCO'S STATUS. SELINA CHOW SAID SIR S.Y.'S REMAPKS AT LEAST REPRESENTED THE VIEWS OF SOME UNELCO MEMBEPS. SHE ALSO SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THE JD DID NOT MENTION THE REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT SYSTEM, THE SPIRIT OF THE TWO WAS THE

SAME.

5. SIR S.Y. WAS ALSO REPORTED BY SOME PAPERS TO HAVE TOLD REPORTERS, ON BEING QUESTIONED ABOUT HIS PEMAPY THAT REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE JD, THAT THEY SHOULD GO HOME AND DO SOME STUDY. COMMENTING ON THIS, A WEN WEI PO COMMENTARY ASKED PEOPLE TO STUDY CLOSELY THE TEXT OF THE JOINT DECLARATION TO SEE IF PEPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT WAS REALLY AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE AGREEMENT.

6. FULL TEXT OF SIR S.Y. CHUNG'S SPEECH WILL FOLLOW BY BAG.

YOUDE

HONG KONG AGREEMENT: RESTRICTED

LIMITED

HD/HKD

HD/FED

RESEARCH D (FE)

DEP/HD PUSD

PS/MR RENTCN MR WILSON

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COPIES TO:

MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS MR WOOD LEGAL ADVISERS MR HUM FID

CONFIDENTIAL