TNAG-2105-FCO40-3000-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-Chinese-complaints-abo-1990 — Page 18

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INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, UKREP JEG HONG KONG

FURTHER CHINESE COMPLAINTS ABOUT SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITY IN HONG KONG.

1.

PIGOTT CALLED ON MME. HE WEI, DEPUTY DIVISION CHIEF AT THE HKMAO, MFA, ON 21 FEBRUARY AT THE LATTER'S REQUEST. MME. HE, SPEAKING FROM A WRITTEN NOTE IN CHINESE, SAID THAT SHE HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO MAKE THE FOLLOWING TWO POINTS:

(A) ON 16 FEBRUARY, SOME PEOPLE HAD HELD A RALLY AND DEMONSTRATION

IN HONG KONG IN PROTEST AT THE PASSING OF THE DRAFT BASIC LAW BY THE BLDC PLENUM. THEY HAD CREATED DISTURBANCES IN FRONT OF THE NCNA OFFICE, TEARING UP AND BURNING COPIES OF THE DRAFT BASIC LAW AND CHANTING ANTI-CPG SLOGANS. THOSE PEOPLE HAD EVEN FOUNDED A 'SO-CALLED COMMISSION FOR DEMANDING DEMOCRACY AND OPPOSING THE AUTOCRATIC BASIC LAW''. THIS ORGANISATION WAS CLEARLY AIMED AT OPPOSING THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. THE POLICE HAD DONE NOTHING TO PREVENT THE DISTURBANCES, BUT HAD ESCORTED THE PROTESTERS AND HAD CLEARED THE WAY FOR THEIR UNAPPROVED DEMONSTRATION. THEY HAD ALSO CONNIVED AT THE DEMONSTRATORS' ACTIONS. BY NOT INTERFERING IN THOSE ACTIONS, THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE POLICE HAD HAD THE EFFECT OF SUPPORTING AND ENCOURAGING THE DEMONSTRATORS. CHINA FELT CONCERNED OVER THIS INCIDENT AND REMINDED THE BRITISH SIDE TO TAKE NOTE SO AS

TO AVOID A RECURRENCE OF SIMILAR INCIDENTS.

4 JUNE.

(B) ACCORDING TO REPORTS, THE SUBVERSIVE HONG KONG ALLIANCE IN

SUPPORT OF THE PATRIOTIC DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT IN CHINA WAS STILL WORKING VIGOROUSLY ON LAUNCHING ANTI-CHINESE ACTIVITIES. IT WAS PLANNING TO HOLD 7 CONSECUTIVE LARGE-SCALE DEMONSTRATIONS, RALLIES AND EXHIBITIONS FROM 5 APRIL - ALL OF THESE ACTIVITIES WERE AIMED AT SUBVERTING THE CPG AND THE MAINLAND'S SOCIALIST SYSTEM. NCNA HONG KONG BRANCH HAD RAISED THIS MATTER WITH THE POLITICAL ADVISER ON 15 FEBRUARY WHEN THE LATTER HAD REITERATED THE BRITISH SIDE'S COMMITMENT THAT WE WOULD NEVER ALLOW HONG KONG TO BE USED AS A SUBVERSIVE BASE AGAINST CHINA. THE POLITICAL ADVISER'S ARGUMENT WAS' ''NOT AT ALL SATISFACTORY''. HE HAD DEFENDED SUCH

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