UNCLASSIFIED
116706
MDHIAN 9783
UNCLASSIFIED
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1805
OF 05105OZ JUNE 91
HKB 182/4
TOP COPY Q DIST?
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
47
OUR TELNO 1778: NEW AIRPORT: PRESS REPORTS
·
1 WE HAVE NOW OBTAINED A COPY OF THE MIRROR ARTICLE REFERRED TO IN TUR.
2. ACCORDING TO THIS, TWO DAYS BEFORE THE START OF THE LAST ROUND OF TALKS, ON 16 MAY, DENG XIAOPING CALLED A MEETING ON THE AIRPORT AND OTHER HONG KONG ISSUES. PRESENT WERE YANG SHANGKUN, QIAO SHI, JI PENGFEI AND LU PING. DENG REPORTEDLY TOLD THEM THAT ALL EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO RESOLVE THE AIRPORT QUESTION AT AN EARLY DATE SO THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE COULD BE REASSURED. CHINA'S POSITION WAS CLEAR, AND WAS BASED ON ITS CONCERN FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE'S INTERESTS NOW AND IN THE FUTURE. IF THE FORTHCOMING ROUND OF TALKS (I.E. THE ROUND FROM 18-22 MAY) DID NOT SOLVE THE QUESTION, AND IF THERE WAS STILL SOME DISTANCE BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES, PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BECOME CONCERNED. THERE COULD BE ONE OR TWO MORE ROUNDS OF DISCUSSION SO THAT THE MATTER COULD EVENTUALLY
BE SATISFACTORILY RESOLVED.
3 OTHER POINTS REPORTEDLY MADE BY DENG INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
A) EXCHANGES WITH HONG KONG PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE SHOULD BE INCREASED. INDUSTRIALISTS AND THOSE WORKING IN FINANCIAL CIRCLES IN HONG KONG SHOULD BE REASSURED THAT THEY COULD CONTINUE TO MAKE MONEY. PROFESSIONALS AND CIVIL SERVANTS SHOULD BE TOLD THAT THE SAR WOULD NEED THEM, THAT THEY WERE A PRECIOUS RESOURCE FOR BUILDING THE NEW HONG KONG, AND THAT THEY SHOULD SET THEIR HEARTS AT EASE AND CONTINUE TO PLAY THEIR ROLE.
B) MANY HONG KONG PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED THAT PEOPLE FROM THE
RIGHT AND FROM THE LEFT WOULD PLAY POLITICS AND ADVERSELY INFLUENCE HONG KONG. IT WAS IN THE BASIC INTEREST OF THE TERRITORY'S 6 MILLION INHABITANTS THAT HONG KONG SHOULD NOT ALLOW
A TINY HANDFUL OF PEOPLE TO ENGAGE IN POLITICAL WRANGLING. CHINA
DID NOT WANT POLITICAL TROUBLE IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD OR IN 1997 WHICH WOULD AFFECT HONG KONG'S INTERNATIONAL POSITION OR THE
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