CONFIDENTIAL
HKB 011/3
31
010352
MDHIAN 2134
CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO DESKBY 260830Z FCO
TELNO 702
OF 260424Z APRIL 89
26 APK
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1
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MKD 340/8112)
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
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MY FIVE IPTS, YOUR TELNO 374 AND HONG KONG TELNO 1296 TO F C 0.
F A C IN CHINA: PRESS REPORTS.
1.
RECORDS OF WHAT LI HOU AND ZHOU NAN SAID ON THE ISSUES IN QUESTION WILL BE FOUND AS FOLLOWS:
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(A) RATE OF DEVELOPMENT IN POLITICAL STRUCTURE: LI HOU'S LINE IN PARA 6 OF MY TELNO 699, ZHOU NAN'S RATHER MORE CAUTIOUS LINE IN PARA 4 OF MY TELNO 700.
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(B) BILL OF RIGHTS: WANG SHUWEN'S LINE IN PARA 7 OF MY TELNO 699.
(C) RIGHT OF ABODE: ZHOU NAN'S LINE IN PARA 7 OF MY TELNO 700.
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2. AS FLAGGED IN MY TELNO 695, THE REFERENCE IN ONE PRESS REPORT TO CHINESE APPROVAL OF AN EARLY REFERENDUM SEEMS TO ARISE FROM A MISUNDERSTANDING DURING HOWELL'S PRESS CONFERENCE ON 25 APRIL. HOWELL WAS ASKED TWO QUESTIONS ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY, ONE ABOUT
HIS ANSWER ELECTION OF THE CE, ONE ABOUT A PRE-1997 REFERENDUM.
WAS ALMOST CERTAINLY MEANT TO ''WE GOT A VERY POSITIVE RESPONSE REFER TO THE CHINESE SIDE'S GENERAL ATTITUDE ON DEMOCRATIC
CON WHICH HE HAD DEVELOPMENT, NOT TO THE DETAILED ISSUES RAISED
IN FACT, THE IDEA OF AN JUST PREVIOUSLY DECLINED TO COMMENT). EARLY REFERENDUM TO DETERMINE H K VIEWS ON POLITICAL STRUCTURE WAS NEVER PUT AS SUCH BY THE F A C TO THE CHINESE, ALTHOUGH SHORE GOT CLOSE TO IT WITH LI HOU (PARA 6 OF MY TELNO 699), SO THAT BY
IT WOULD SEEM WORTH DEFINITION THEY EXPRESSED NO VIEW ON IT. RAISING THIS POINT WITH THE COMMITTEE ON THEIR RETURN SO THAT, IF THE RECORD DOES INDEED NEED TO BE PUT STRAIGHT, THEY CAN PLAY THEIR PART IN DOING SO.
COMMENT.
THE REFERENCES IN PARA 1 ABOVE EXPLAIN THE OPTIMISTIC CONCLUSIONS DRAWN BY THE F A C BUT MAY NOT ENTIRELY JUSTIFY THEM.
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