CONFIDENTIAL
110060
MDHIAN 0178
FURTHER WITH SHEN JUEREN WHEN I MET HIM ON 4 NOVEMBER. ZHOU APPRECIATED AND WELCOMED OUR FAR-SIGHTEDNESS IN PLANNING MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURAL PROJECTS AND IN TAKING ACCOUNT NOT ONLY OF THE YEARS BEFORE 1997 BUT ALSO THE PERIOD AFTER THAT. THE CHINESE SIDE HAD SAID ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THAT COOPERATION BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES WOULD NOT BE LIMITED TO THE PERIOD BEFORE 1997 BUT HOPED THAT IT WOULD EXPAND THEREAFTER. CHINA WAS READY TO DO HER PART. THE PRC WAS FIRMLY DETERMINED TO IMPLEMENT THE CONCEPT ON ONE COUNTRY. TWO SYSTEMS'' DENG XIAOPING HAD SAID NOT LONG AGO THAT THE SYSTEM IN HONG KONG WOULD NOT CHANGE EVEN AFTER 50 YEARS: 50 YEARS WAS ONLY A FIGURATIVE PERIOD, EVEN AFTER 50 YEARS, THERE WOULD BE NO REASON TO MAKE CHANGES.
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9. ON THE QUESTION OF EXPO, ZHOU SAID THAT THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES HAD BEEN CAREFUL NOT TO COMMENT ON THE POSSIBILITY OF AN EXPO BEING HELD IN 1997. BUT HE RECOGNISED IF ONE HAD GONE AHEAD, MUCH WORK WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE BEEN DONE BEFORE THEN. THE QUESTION WAS ONE
FOR THE BRITISH HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO DECIDE: THIS IS WHAT THEY HAD SAID TO THE PRESS. AS TO HOLDING AN EXPO IN 2001, THIS WOULD REQUIRE CONSULTATION BETWEEN THE CPG AND FUTURE SARG. THIS, OF COURSE, WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE SINCE THE SARG HAD NOT YET COME INTO BEING.
10. ZHOU SAID THAT THE QUESTIONS OF MAINTAINING CONFIDENCE AND THE
OUTFLOW OF PROFESSIONALS WERE OLD PROBLEMS WHICH WE HAD DISCUSSED
MORE THAN ONCE IN THEE PAST. CHINA'S POSITION WAS VERY CLEAR: ZHOU
HOPED THAT CONFIDENCE WOULD BE MAINTAINED AND STRENGTHENED AND EMIGRATION REDUCED OR STOPPED ALTOGETHER. THE CPG HAD DONE ALL IT COULD IN THIS RESPECT. AS HE HAD JUST MENTIONED, DENG HAD MADE PUBLIC CHINA'S SOLEMN COMMITMENT TO HONG KONG'S FUTURE. ZHOU
BELIEVED THAT THE PROCESS OF DRAFTING THE BASIC LAW WOULD ALSO
ENHANCE CONFIDENCE AMONG HONG KONG PEOPLE. THE EXERCISE TO SOLICIT
OPINION ON THE DRAFT BASIC LAW AND VISITS TO HONG KONG BY MAINLAND DRAFTERS HAD BEEN HELPFUL HE WAS GLAD THAT WE ALSO THOUGH THIS THE
CASE. BUT EFFORTS TO BOOST CONFIDENCE WOULD WORK WITH SOME PEOPLE
AND NOT WITH OTHERS. WORDS WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH FOR SOME. THERE WAS
NO QUESTION OF FORCING THOSE WHO WANTED TO LEAVE TO STAY IN HONG
KONG. SOME WOULD LIKE TO STAY AND SEE WHAT HAPPENED BUT OTHERS
WOULD PREFER TO LEAVE AND WATCH FROM OUTSIDE. ZHOU HOPED THAT WE, TOO, WOULD DO ALL WE COULD TO ENHANCE CONFIDENCE. HE HAD MET A DELEGATION HEADED BY A JARDINES REPRESENTATIVE SOME MONTHS AGO WHO
HAD SHARED HIS VIEW. HE BELIEVED THAT IF THE CHINESE AND BRITISH SIDES CONTINUED TO MAINTAIN GOOD COOPERATION BEFORE AND AFTER 1997
AND TO PROMOTE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY IN HONG KONG, HONG KONG
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