TNAG-1752-FCO40-2472-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1988 — Page 155

SECRET

FM FCO

TO

IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 185

OF 21153OZ JANUARY 88

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

SECRET

172665

MDHOAN 7137

HKB C40/2

PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM PAUL, HKD

DEBATE ON HONG KONG: CHINA'S POSITION ON DIRECT ELECTIONS

1.

I AM SURE THAT YOU WILL HAVE BEEN STRUCK BY THE EXTENT TO

WHICH MPS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE HOUSE APPEARED TO BE UNDER A

MISAPPREHENSION ABOUT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION ON DIRECT ELECTIONS IN HONG KONG. IN PARTICULAR, YOU MAY HAVE BEEN

MYSTIFIED BY REFERENCES MADE BY MR KAUFMAN TO A BRIEFING WHICH HE

AND HIS PARTY COLLEAGUES HAD RECEIVED FROM A MEMBER OF THE CHINESE EMBASSY, AND HIS STATEMENT THAT HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN

INFLUENCED IN FAVOUR OF DELAY TO 1991 IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE

QUOTE CLEAR STATEMENT FROM THE CHINESE THAT THEY ARE IN FAVOUR OF

DIRECT ELECTIONS UNQUOTE. KAUFMAN CLAIMED THAT ON THE QUESTION

OF THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS FOR 1991 THE EMBASSY

REPRESENTATIVE WAS QUOTE CAREFUL TO EXPRESS NO VIEW UNQUOTE.

MIGHT APPRECIATE A LITTLE BACKGROUND.

2.

THE BRIEFING REFERRED TO BY MR KAUFMAN WAS GIVEN BY ZHANG YOUYUN (WHO STOOD IN FOR THE AMBASSADOR, WHO WAS ILL) ON 18 JANUARY. AT A DINNER GIVEN AT THE

AMBASSADOR'S RESIDENCE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE

YOU

DEBATE AT WHICH ROBIN MCLAREN WAS PRESENT, ZHANG YOUYUN WAS

INDIGNANT AT THE WAY SHE HAD BEEN QUOTE MISQUOTED AND QUOTED OUT

OF CONTEXT UNQUOTE BY OPPOSITION MEMBERS AND MAINTAINED THAT SHE

HAD SET OUT THE CHINESE POSITION IN A WAY WHICH LEFT NO ROOM FOR

MISUNDERSTANDING. SHE TOLD MCLAREN THAT SHE HAD SPOKEN AFTER THE DEBATE TO 3 LABOUR MEMBERS (FOULKES, BRAY AND FAULDS) WHO HAD

AGREED THAT SHE HAD INDEED SET OUT THE CHINESE POSITION CLEARLY AT HER BRIEFING AND THAT THIS HAD NOT COME ACROSS IN KAUFMAN'S

SPEECH. BRAY HAD REFLECTED THE CHINESE POSITION IN HIS OWN

SPEECH (WHILE NEVERTHELESS ARGUING THAT DIRECT ELECTIONS SHOULD BE INTRODUCED IN 1988). FOULKES HAD PROMISED TO DO WHAT HE COULD

QUOTE TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT UNQUOTE (ALTHOUGH IT WAS NOT CLEAR TO MRS ZHANG WHAT HE HAD IN MIND). MRS ZHANG WAS

CONSIDERING WRITING TO KAUFMAN TO MAKE THE CHINESE POSITION

CLEAR.

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