TNAG-1862-FCO40-2639-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Basic-Law-1989 — Page 128

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MDHIAN 2801

WOULD GIVE THE RIGHT OF ENTRY TO ALL RESIDENTS, I.E. INCLUDING NON-PERMANENT RESIDENTS. THIS WOULD CREATE PROBLEMS. LIN WAS UNDER THE ERRONEOUS CONCEPTION THAT ANYONE WITH AN ID CARD WOULD HAVE THE

RIGHT TO ENTER. AFTER SOME EXPLANATION HE TOOK THE POINT.

OTHER POINTS

9. QIAN WEICHANG SAID ONE PROBLEM WHICH HAD BEEN RAISED WITH THE

BLDC SPECIAL GROUP ON EDUCATION AND CULTURE WAS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HK RELIGIOUS GROUPS AND THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN PRC, E.G. THAT BETWEEN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN HK AND THE CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION

IN PRC. HE HAD PUT FORWARD THREE PRINCIPLES ON SUCH RELATIONSHIP: NO CONFLICT, NO INTERFERENCE AND MUTUAL RESPECT, AND THESE HAD BEEN WELL RECEIVED BY HK RELIGIOUS GROUPS. WE ASKED WHETHER VATICAN MIGHT PRESENT A PROBLEM. QIAN REPLIED THAT THE STATUS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN HK WOULD OF COURSE CONTINUE UNCHANGED AFTER 1997, INCLUDING ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH VATICAN.

COMMENTS

10. XIAN, QIAN AND LIN WERE ALL WILLING TO HEAR OUR VIEWS ON THE BL AND TO TELL US THE PROBLEMS THEY FACED. XIANG WAS CLEARLY WORRIED ABOUT THE INTRACTABLE POSITIONS HELD BY BOTH THE GROUP OF 89 AND THE GROUP OF 190, BUT FULLY UNDERSTOOD THE NEED TO RESOLVE THE CONTROVERSY THROUGH CLEAR-CUT PROVISIONS ON THE POLITICAL STRUCTURE

IN THE BL.

WILSON

YYYY

DISTRIBUTION

52

ΜΑΙΝ

49

.HONG KONG AGREEMENT

.(RESTRICTED)

LIMITED

HKD

HD/FED

PUSD

PS/LORD GLENARTHUR

PS/MR EGGAR

MR GILLMORE MR MCLAREN

RESEARCH (FE)

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